In an article by Australia’s Herald Sun about the re-release of James Cameron’s Avatar in 3D later this month and his upcoming producing role on GDT’s next directorial project At The Mountains Of Madness, there’s some very interesting information on James Cameron’s thoughts on GDT directing The Hobbit.
“I was telling him for a long time to get out of that thing because there is only room for one captain on the ship,” Cameron says. “Instinctively I knew that Peter was going to take over and do the movie. Guillermo, to his credit, didn’t listen to me and wanted to do continue and had some great designs – and I have seen all the designs. Of course he would have done a spectacular job, but don’t we want to see Peter do it? He should do it and Guillermo should do his thing. That’s what I told both of them – you should just stay in your corners.“
Speaking of the designs for The Hobbit, it might be good to recall that in an interview with James Cameron by Ain’t It Cool News last August on the then to-be-released Avatar, there was mention of James Cameron having seen WETA’s designs for The Hobbit. A snippet from that article reads:
Cameron mentioned that he’d seen some of their [WETA’s] design work on THE HOBBIT and that it really is the original trilogy world created by Weta and Peter Jackson, but with a slight influence of Guillermo del Toro’s style. Cameron said the two styles mix perfectly together.
Back then, GDT used to frequent our message boards, and joined in our discussion about the AICN article. Here’s what he had to say:
For what is worth: Jim and I have been dear friends for over 17 years now. But that has not prevented us being very critical of each other’s work through the years. Just so you know- he would NEVER declare anything like this if he didn’t feel that way. What he saw were very strong designs and maquettes: GOBLINS and their environment, SMAUG (fully designed but without final color / texture), SPIDERS OF MIRKWOOD, MIRKWOOD, STONE TROLLS, WARGS, IRON HILL DWARVES, GUNDABAD ARMY, THRANDUILL’S THRONE ROOM etc, etc and he was delighted. This for me, as his friend, and as a filmmaker, meant a whole lot. You will / may disagree at the end of the process but, I assure you, this IS his opinion.
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With two “Hobbit” movies near the center of the 3D movie debate, the hot-button film topic has cropped up again with some evidence presented from the Los Angeles Times that audiences don’t always love wearing special glasses at movies. Read on.
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Over at The Noldor Blog, there is serious speculation as to a potential announcement regarding The Hobbit around August 21st. And if so, indications suggest it would be a positive announcement for fans.
The blog mentions how the Weta Cave is shutting for five days, then closing again a week later for what is called a “very secret private function”. In addition, a large amount of Lord Of The Rings / Hobbit sets and props are being pulled from storage, apparently in a somewhat urgent nature. Contacts he has spoken to feel an announcement is imminent and that the morale there is very high.
While this confirms nothing, it does open a window of possibility that something is afoot. At the excellent The Frodo Franchise site, Kristin Thompson has added some of her thoughts on the matter as well. What do the TORN readers think? Talk about it on the message boards!
Update: Sources at WETA and PJ’s camp state that there is nothing important pending for an August 21st announcement. Special events occur at the WETA Cave all the time, many not involving anyone associated with WETA at all. Further investigations reveal the remainder of the article is incorrect and wildly speculative, at best. -Xo
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Michael Cieply at the New York Times has written a nice piece about how resistance against 3D is forming in Hollywood. He used many sources from Comic-Con and says that filmmakers may carry more clout with studios than people who cough up money to see films. He also quotes a TORn article and our own webmaster in the story that talks about an issue important to film fans world wide.
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“ELYSIUM” COMPILATION ALBUM CURATED BY ELIJAH WOOD AVAILABLE STARTING TODAY, EXCLUSIVELY IN THE ITUNES STORE
BENEFIT FOR THE ART OF ELYSIUM FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TRACKS FROM SONIC YOUTH, THE KILLS, WHITE DENIM AND MORE
Los Angeles, CA – Renowned actor Elijah Wood has curated a new compilation album, “Elysium,” available today exclusively on the iTunes store to benefit The Art of Elysium and its Music Programming, which brings music into the lives of hospitalized children. The album includes exclusive tracks from Sonic Youth, The Kills, White Denim and Earthless, among others, and also features tracks from Sleigh Bells, Sleepy Sun, Ty Segall, Black Mountain and more. Apple, the artists, and the labels will donate their proceeds to The Art of Elysium, which encourages actors, artists and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions. Go to www.elysiumsessions.org for more info. Continue reading “Elijah Wood Album Available on Itunes”
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Justin writes: I’m a long time reader of theonering.net, and I’ve found something that will be of interest to the community. Recently, The Lord of the Rings’ very own Andy Serkis was cast in a radio drama presentation of C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters,” a story that Lewis dedicated to none other than Tolkien himself. I bought the collection for my fiancée (also a self-professed Tolkien geek!). We listened to it in the car, and it was excellent. A lot of the dialogue is lifted directly from Lewis’ superb text, and brought to life by Serkis’ amazing performance as the title character. It includes a behind-the-scenes bonus DVD that also has a section talking about the Inklings. screwtape.com
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