With all the traffic TORn has been getting since the GDT resignation story first broke, we were not able to post this podcast in a ‘hasty’ manner. But now that things are a ‘bit’ slower, here’s TORn’s very own Quickbeam with reaction to the news that Guillermo del Toro has resigned from The Hobbit project.
Category: Hobbit Movie
Guillermo Del Toro announced today that he is no longer directing the two movies based on J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, but will continue to co-write the screenplays. Out of respect to the legions of loyal Tolkien fans, both Guillermo and Peter Jackson wanted to break the news to The One Ring first. They are both committed to protecting The Hobbit and will do everything in their power to ensure the films are everything that the fans want them to be.
“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life”, says Guillermo. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director”. Continue reading “Guillermo Del Toro departs “The Hobbit””
Reports around the wwwebs are proclaiming that “‘Lord of the Rings’ prequel on hold” or “The Hobbit On Hold Indefinitely” which surely makes readers click headlines but aren’t actually accurate. They are suggesting the comments that director Guillermo del Toro made in a conference call this week somehow contradicts what Peter Jackson said about the production to MoviePhone on April 16. (Summarized here.) It doesn’t.
As Jackson said, “It’s not really been delayed, because we’ve never announced the date.” The film is, as it has been for a long time, in development. That means scripts get written, and broken down into scenes with cost estimates, possible actors and potential audiences are considered and budgets are written up so studios can gauge potential profits against costs. Then with money in place, a film gets the magical greenlight and goes into pre-production where actors and crew are hired. Contrary to reports, this has not happened yet but we do know designs, costumes, creatures and many elements of the film have been underway. There is obviously enough development budget and work in place to hit pre-production running when that green light gets turned on. Everybody knows two ‘Hobbit’ movies will happen. Guillermo del Toro’s latest comments (remember, in reaction to a false report about a greenlight and the film’s 3D status) are just a restating of what TheOneRing exclusively reported way back on March 17; the MGM financial mess is holding up “The Hobbit”. It has been confirmed many times in many place since then but this isn’t new at all, it is just still the situation as it has been for months. But, there are a lot of signs that Warner Bros. is frustrated, things are moving forward and November is still a target for a start date.
To go with all these facts, our best “guess” is that some official word will come down from the studio in about the next two weeks. As you might imagine, we will report on it ASAP when it becomes official.
Looks like Sideshow is going to be releasing a new premium format figure soon! If you can’t see the video above, click here to video it at SideshowCollectibles.com. And if you are new to collecting their Premium Format line-up, the Moria Orc and Galadriel figures are now instock. The Gandalf the Grey figure is currently pre-ordering.
With all the rumors and speculation about having “The Hobbit” movies in 3D, it sometimes feels like the big money made by “Avatar” has cast impossible expectations over blockbuster films forever. It also seems that all that cash is simply being attributed to the 3D aspect of the film and so now every movie, including both parts of “The Hobbit,” are part of the hype. Since “Avatar” made sooooo much money, we wondered, “Why stop with visual depth and polarized glasses?” And so we present our “Top 10 ways to make ‘The Hobbit’ movie like ‘Avatar’.” Continue reading “Top 10 ways to make ‘The Hobbit’ movie like ‘Avatar’”
Sources all over the place are confirming our earlier report that indeed, there is no greenlight for “The Hobbit,” and that currently 3D isn’t being planned. The director held a conference call supporting the film “Splice,” and predictably those films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book written for children came up during the phone chat. The Mexican director, currently living and working in New Zealand was definitive:
“On both counts, there are no final answers. It is not greenlit. That is categorical. And 3D has been discussed literally once in the room. The budget and the schedule and everything that we are handling – the cost of the film, the number of days it would take to shoot – is being handled right now without looking towards 3D. Is there a chance it will become 3D in the future? Maybe. Right now, it’s not being planned as such.”