New Line, Warner Bros and MGM are pleased to have concluded successful discussions with the New Zealand government this past week. We’d like to thank Prime Minister Key, his Cabinet and the other dedicated New Zealand officials for their support and cooperation, which helped assuage our concerns and enabled us to keep The Hobbit in its proper home of New Zealand.
We’d also like to express very special appreciation to Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and the people of New Zealand for their tireless support of The Hobbit and their commitment to maintain and grow their vibrant film industry. Filming is scheduled to begin in February 2011 and we look forward to returning to Middle-earth.
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From stuff.co.nz: Brett Hodge, owner of Matamata Post and Rails, which has supplied the timber for The Hobbit duology since construction began in February, told the Waikato Times that Sir Peter Jackson’s company Three Foot Six was building the home of the Hobbits to last.
What they did last time was build a temporary set, but now it’s a permanent set.
It will begin a perpetual celebration around the party tree, on the set, where The Fellowship of the Ring began with Bilbo’s disappearance.
The Green Dragon, where the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield awaits Bilbo Baggins ahead of their quest, will include a real thatched roof and the nearby Bywater bridge, made from polystyrene blocks resembling stone for The Lord of the Rings, is being rebuilt in permanent stone.
Read more of the article over at stuff.co.nz that ends with quotes from none other than members from our very own message boards.
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It’s been five months since GDT departed The Hobbit, but now that the movie has finally been greenlit and is on schedule for a February 2011 shoot, there’s little doubt he still feels the loss of what might have been.
ContactMusic caught up with Guillermo and questioned him concerning his quitting The Hobbit, and as the man’s said to various people numerous time before, he reiterates that leaving the director’s chair was indeed the hardest decision of his life.
It’s the hardest decision I’ve ever taken. I have incredible heartache. I feel terrible about it. It’s very hard. It’s getting a little easier to talk about it, but essentially it’s like you’ve been recently widowed and everybody (is) asking you how exactly your wife died. It’s pretty morbid.
There was no other choice, I kept postponing, I kept fending off the problems, I kept compartmentalising, I kept with it, everything we could (do).
I’ll be able to watch it and (I will) probably enjoy it. But you know, with The Hobbit, I feel like the guy (survival mountain climber Aron Ralston) in the real-life experience that Danny Boyle just did his movie (127 Hours about). I was hanging by a thread on my arm for so long that at the end of the day you have to cut it off. Do I like having one arm less? No. But did I have to? Yes.
Excerpted from an article at ContactMusic.com.
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The MGM, Lions Gate drama continues. The latest from Bloomberg.com: Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. is suing billionaire Carl Ichan over the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. studio deal in federal court in New York, alleging the financier was “secretly plotting” to merge the studios. In the lawsuit, Vancouver-based Lions Gate, the studio whose films include “Crash” and “Precious,” alleges that Icahn realized by June that Lions Gate was in advanced negotiations with two unidentified studios. Aware that the deals might dilute his stake in Lions Gate, Icahn “took drastic and improper action,” the studio said.
Icahn, 74, the studio’s largest shareholder, undermined any proposed transactions by making false and misleading statements, Lions Gate said. He told the investing public that such a deal would be a “financial debacle” and issued press releases vowing to challenge any transaction and sue any entity that interfered with his tender offer, the studio said.
“Icahn opposed a merger with MGM not because it was bad for Lions Gate shareholders, but because it was good — so good, in fact, that he wanted to postpone it until he could buy as much of both companies as he could and thus extract for himself as much of the value stemming from the merger as possible,” Lions Gate said in the complaint, filed today in U.S. District Court in New York. Thanks to message board member Owain for the link. Read More…
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SYDNEY – Furious debate rages at this moment in New Zealand’s parliament on legislation sought by Warner Bros. to amend the country’s labor laws and make unionization of the local film industry more difficult. Meanwhile, key union leaders reported receiving death threats. Police have begun an investigation, according to a local press report.
The government has the necessary votes for the law revision and passage is expected later today. A Labour member of parliament decried today as a “day of shame.” The Labour and Green opposition have hammered on the loss of sovereignty implied by negotiating legislation with a foreign corporation, then ramming it through under an urgency procedure. The ruling National Party has emphasized the financial benefit of retaining the “Hobbit” production in country. More..
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Wingnut Films has released a statement from Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh in expression of their gratitude to the New Zealand Government, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, the workers, and the fans who supported the making of The Hobbit in New Zealand.
From wetanz.com:
Filmmakers, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh stated today “We are grateful to the Government for introducing legislation which shall give everyone in the film industry certainty as to their employment status. This clarification will provide much needed stability and reassurance for film workers as well as investors from within New Zealand and overseas.”
Jackson went on to thank Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema for their continued commitment to New Zealand. “Their respect for the skill and talent of Kiwi crews and performers speaks for itself.”
Finally, Jackson stated, “I feel enormous gratitude to the film technicians, actors and fans who came out in support of making these films in New Zealand. To the thousands of people who took the time to write and let us know they were with us – thank you. It made all the difference.”
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