While Peter Jackson and the actor’s unions have gone very quiet on their dispute, MGM is finally moving forward which is a great bit of progress for two planned films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”. The planned bankruptcy the venerable studio is seeking gives it leadership and the chance to put money into films instead of putting money towards interest payments. A headline with “bankruptcy” isn’t sexy, but it is good news for those wanting “Hobbit” films, especially when the word “planned” comes before it.
You can read about it from Forbes, Reuters, or the Associated Press.
And, unlike other news outlets that have promised not to write about the “Hobbit” films again until they write a review, we promise to bring you lots and lots and lots of news as often as possible!
For those not aware, MGM holds 50 percent of “The Hobbit” and its financial situation has stalled the film that has also faced several other significant hurdles.
Category: Production
Ringer Tim alerts us to an update on Deadline that confirms Spyglass partners Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum are now officially MGM’s new chairmen and CEO’s. In addition, there is an MGM press release attached to the blog reviewing the reorganization efforts.
Stay tuned to TORN for any breaking news as updates continue to come out. One more step towards an expected announcement (and not-so-unexpected party among TORN members) regarding an official green light for The Hobbit!
Can’t make it to New York City for the TTT Radio City Music Hall event? We invite you to stop by the TORn message boards where we’ll be hosting a virtual concert, giving you another way to celebrate and enjoy the great music from the LOTR films. The Virtual Concert will be conducted in four “Movements” — two on Friday, and two on Saturday. Each Movement will be in the form of a discussion thread covering several tracks from the TTT Original Soundtrack disk. So, break out your TTT Soundtrack disk and stop by to post a comment on your favorite tracks. We encourage our NYC-bound friends to drop in and share some thoughts on the Live Concert, too! The Virtual Concert will begin at noon EST Friday on our “‘Main” message board and will be available to participate in all weekend.
Peter Jackson’s multimillion-dollar blockbuster The Hobbit could be moving to the Gold Coast with the Oscar-winning filmmaker ready to quit New Zealand due to major hurdles crippling production. The southern Gold Coast is being touted as a possibility for relocation for the Lord of the Rings prequel with its rolling hills and sparser population two attributes attracting the interest of producers. More..
From Wired.com: District 9 scored last summer as a breakthrough sci-fi film that fused the mundane grit of a politically dysfunctional society with classic alien elements. Operating simultaneously as apartheid metaphor, personal drama and shoot-’em-up spectacle, the movie coalesced through an intensely creative collaborative process that was rife with trial and error.
As documented in upcoming book The Art of District 9, Weta Workshop practiced the design equivalent of Method acting. Beyond crafting cool-looking effects, artisans working under the direction of Peter Jackson’s go-to effects expert — The Lord of the Rings Oscar-winner Richard Taylor — embedded behavior and motivation into their freakish models of aliens, weapons and spaceships. More..
Gordon Campbell with Scoop.co.nz has weighed in on recent events concerning what he phrases as the end game for The Hobbit. He states the actors boycott is really just a “sideshow” and what matters is “the production incentives available in New Zealand compared to elsewhere in the world” as well as “the late intrusion of the 74 year old corporate raider Carl Icahn into the sale of debt-burdened MGM, which owns a major stake in The Hobbit project.”
You can read the entire article here.