Message board member ranger123 alerted us to a people.co.uk article from Oct 3 stating that COLD feet and Murphy’s Law star James Nesbitt is making plans to pack up his family and move to New Zealand, having secured a ‘major’ role in “The Hobbit.”
Nesbitt, 45, and actress wife Sonia Forbes-Adam, also 45, have talked to their daughters Peggy, 12, and Mary, eight, about the benefits of staying on to make a fresh start. The Northern Irish star believes it will be good for his career and family life. A source said: “‘The Hobbit’ was always going to mean a long stay in New Zealand for James and he wanted his family around him.”
Now that “The Hobbit” has been green lit to start production in February, expect casting news such as this to fill the front page here at TheOneRing.net regularly. What part do *you* think Nesbitt is referring to? Bard, or one of the dwarves, are theories we’ve heard. Click the “Discuss” link below to share your opinion.
Update: rumor circulating around the internet this weekend (prompted by a Pajiba twitter) is that the role Nesbitt was offered is that of the dwarf Bofur. Bofur is the brother of the heavy-set dwarf, Bombur, and cousin of the dwarf Bifur.
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The Hobbit has finally been given the greenlight and will be made in 3-D with Sir Peter Jackson in the director’s chair.
Shooting will begin in February.
The announcement was made today jointly by New Line Cinema – which bankrolled The Lord of the Rings – and its parent company Warner Bros.
The announcement did not state whether the two part prequel to The Lord of the Rings would be shot in New Zealand.
Matt Dravitzki, Jackson’s assistant at Wingnut Films, said an annoucement on the place of filming would be “probably a week or two away”.
[Read on]
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The New York Times is busting out major headlines today: First with the revelation that ‘The Hobbit’ films will be filmed in 3-D, and now, all but confirming Peter Jackson will direct the two ‘prequels.’ (Woo Hoo!!! – Sorry, had to get that in there) According Michael Cieply’s article, an announcement to this affect will be coming in the next few days.
Mr. Jackson, who is a producer and writer of the two “Hobbit” films, agreed also to become their director after Mr. del Toro left the project earlier this year, citing the delays. Mr. Jackson’s agreement to direct the movies has been in place but hasn’t formally closed because it depends on the studios’ willingness to begin production soon, according to people briefed on his status.
The first “Hobbit” film is expected to be released in mid-December 2012, the second a year later. Mr. Jackson has said he can direct the films only if those release dates can be met.
There are some other great details about the production in the full article over at The New York Times. [Read More]
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New York Times reporter Michael Cieply, hardly a reporter known to spread rumor, is reporting from an unnamed source close to the production that “The Hobbit” films will be in 3-D (a la AVATAR). Michael was at our Comic-Con 2010 panel where the audience universally despised the idea of the films being created in 3-D. Also in his report, he mentions that the greenlight for the project is close, and more importantly, a rumored release date of December 19th 2012. [Full Story] We know its beating a dead horse, but share your thoughts on a 3-D Hobbit in the comments and through the ‘discuss’ link!
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The LA Times is reporting news we’ve all been waiting to hear: “The Hobbit” is finally close, maybe just days away, from getting a greenlight!
“The studios have nearly finalized a deal with director, producer and co-writer Peter Jackson to make the two movies and have resolved most other key issues that have long held up the project, including those related to underlying rights from the estate of author J.R.R. Tolkien. The one remaining hurdle is getting an official go-ahead from MGM, which is set to co-finance the movies because under a long-standing agreement it owns half the rights and controls international distribution.”
The story goes on to report that recent issues with various actors’ unions are also close to being resolved. An imminent green light would pave the way for filming to begin in January, keeping the targeted opening date of December, 2012 for the first movie doable. Interestingly, the story lists Peter Jackson as director, something that has yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned here for more on that, and the impending green light! … (Read More)
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Since the news broke this weekend of actor unions putting pressure on the producers of “The Hobbit” regarding wages and working conditions of non-union actors, hundreds of stories, and re-hashes of stories, have hit the internet. It’s enough to boggle the mind! So, we thought we’d provide a recap of what’s happened so far, complete with a number of useful links. Bear in mind that the ‘facts’ presented in one story may conflict with the ‘facts’ presented in other stories. Our goal here is not to take sides, to separate the fact from the fiction, nor to link to 100% of the related articles. Rather, our goal is to give our readers some basic resources as a starting point for their own research. Keep checking TheOneRing.net for the most recent updates!
(Thanks to many of our readers and message board members for their diligent work locating many of the articles linked below. Special thanks to Kristen Thompson at the Frodo Franchise blog for sharing her extra-diligent research with us. Be sure to keep sending updates as you find them to spymaster@theonering.net!)
(Note: dates are based on U.S. time zones)
Sep. 24 – SAG (Screen Actor’s Guild) and other actor unions worldwide (including the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance of Australia) issue statements to their members regarding non-union actors who may be hired to work on “The Hobbit.” Statements range from encouraging support for non-union actors to urging an all-out boycott of the production. NZ Actor’s Equity urges supporters to attend a meeting in Auckland on Sep 27. Links: Offical SAG Alert ; UK Equity Alert ; MEAA Hobbit Fact Sheet ; NZ Actor’s Equity Articles ; TVNZ interview
Sep. 25 – the story breaks on the internet. Links: TheOneRing.net ; Variety
Sep. 26 – Peter Jackson issues a response. Links: TheOneRing.net
Sep. 27 – official response from the studios. Links: Deadline Hollywood
Sep. 28 – statement released from NZ Actor’s Equity meeting. Links: NZ Actor’s Equity Articles ; YouTube Video interviews of NZ Actors re: NZ Actor’s Equity Meeting
Other useful links: NZ Employment Law: Contractors vs. Employees ; NZ Dept. of Labour definition of an Employee ; Ruling on Bryson vs. Three Foot Six ; Karl Urban backs Union Stance ; Movie Studios Look at Other Options for The Hobbit ; TVNZ – The Plot Thickens ; SPADA on Hobbit Battle ; Gordon Campbell on Trade Unions vs. The Hobbit ; More from PJ on stuff.co.nz ; stuff.co.nz on Unions having No Legal Standing
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