Godron Campbell has an article summarizing the state of play from an NZ perspective: Given that successive governments have identified the film industry as a prime catalyst of the knowledge economy, you might have expected more local media attention would be being paid to the sale of MGM, which will directly determine whether and when The Hobbit gets made here, and by whom. Taking the director’s chair on this project has implications for Peter Jackson’s career in the wake of The Lovely Bones (a failure) and King Kong (perceived by some as a failure, even though it wasn’t a commercial flop) while the sudden departure of the originally designated director Guillermo del Toro from the project has added gossip fuel to a story that already had major implications for our skills base and also (locations! locations!) for our tourism industry. More..
Category: Hobbit Movie
July 14 (Bloomberg) — Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., the independent film and TV producer, has approached creditors of ailing Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. to help shape a plan to acquire the studio, two people with knowledge of the situation said. Lions Gate Vice Chairman Michael Burns has been meeting in New York with investors who hold some of MGM’s $3.7 billion debt, according to the people, who requested anonymity because the discussions are private. More..
“The Hobbit” still has not been officially greenlighted, but director Peter Jackson is in Los Angeles this week quietly meeting with actors. The casting trip, which also included stops in New York and the U.K., underscores the progress being made on a complex series of deals to bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel to the big screen.
Sources say Jackson’s pact with Warner Bros. to direct the two-part “Hobbit” adaptation is close to done, but the sticking point continues to be the dire financial situation at MGM, which holds half the rights to the property. More..
Calling his decision to walk away from directing The Hobbit “the biggest heartbreak of my life professionally”, Guillermo del Toro is getting ready to bounce back.
Del Toro plans to attend Comic-Con to be part of a preview for Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, a horror film he both produced and co-wrote. He clearly still likes to excite his fans and noted “We’re gonna announce a few things at Comic-Con that are surprises. But I’m probably going to announce my next directing project right after Comic-Con. It’s a pretty big one.” That should perk up the ears of those who love his movies.
While del Toro truly was saddened to leave The Hobbit (possibly to Peter Jackson’s direction), he did tell Entertainment Weekly that “at the same time, I’m entirely at peace with it.” Read the entire article here.
Congrats to Sir Ian McKellen for his ‘Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie’ Emmy nomination for his work on ‘The Prisoner’. He is up against Jeff Bridges (‘A Dog Year’), Michael Sheen (‘The Special Relationship’), Dennis Quaid (‘The Special Relationship’) & Al Pacino (‘You Don’t Know Jack’). Take a look at all the Emmy noms here. More..
From www.smh.com.au When The Diary’s Hobbiton correspondent, Steve Meacham, spoke to Sir Ian McKellen, he made sure to ask him about – what else? – the possibility of his reprising Gandalf in a film adaptation of The Hobbit. ”I’m waiting to hear when the Hobbit is going to be made,” McKellen said. ”We don’t know who is going to direct it. Peter Jackson is currently the producer and he’s currently casting it. I’ve just been to Wellington where I met a lot of people who have been working on it for a year now. The sets are being built. The costumes are being designed. The creatures are being designed. It is all ready to go. Continue reading “More Gandalf Magic”