LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Filmmakers trying to satisfy a U.S. movie rating aimed at mostly teenagers often complain that they’re forced to cut violent scenes, and those edits compromise the director’s vision. But Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson found he had the exact opposite problem with his eagerly-anticipated new film, “The Lovely Bones,” due in theaters on December 11. More..
Category: Production
“I’m a 22-year-old who’s been making films all my life – how can I get a job on The Hobbit?” Towards the end of a remarkable two hours with Guillermo del Toro, this question got a remarkably friendly answer from the 44-year-old Mexican who has made seven movies and who’s getting ready to make his next two in Wellington. More.. (Paid registration required)
MGM may be the best known logo in the entertainment business, but the company seems headed for another possible garage sale. Several sources say they expect that MGM will essentially be auctioned off within the next few weeks. This would mean that a major, such as Time Warner, could buy the MGM-UA library while another entity might acquire the logo, and yet another deal could be made for United Artists. Sources speculated that Kirk Kerkorian, who has already bought and sold MGM twice, might buy the logo once again.
Last summer Harry Sloan was bounced as MGM’s CEO and Stephen Cooper, a specialist in restructuring companies (Krispy Kreme was one of his projects) started meeting with bankers with the aim of restructuring some $3.7 billion in debt. There was speculation that the combined assets of MGM may now yield as little as $1.5 billion in the present market. More..
Film director Guillermo del Toro is to take time out from making The Hobbit to help out some other little movie guys in Wellington. Mexico-born del Toro has given up his valuable time to help independent New Zealander Sam Kelly raise money to make a musical feature film. One For The Road, directed by Kelly, is due to begin filming in January, with just $60,000 of its $1.5 million budget raised so far. In a bid to close the gap, the film’s makers are hoping to sell out Wellington’s Paramount Theatre tonight. More..
Guillermo Del Toro paid a visit to our message boards today to confirm that he will definitely be making a cameo appearance in The Hobbit as a small monster:
“I had a hand on the design of the creature and I will personally sculpt the appliances that will be applied on my face and hands. I used to sculpt the creatures for NECROPIA (my FX company) and I miss it a bit. I will have a line or two and die quickly.”
His comments were in response to a discussion on our Hobbit Movie message board of a German interview about The Strain posted on YouTube, with some English audible and a comment or two about The Hobbit. Guillermo is known for dropping in from time to time to join in the discussions, awarding us with tidbits about The Hobbit production, or simply how life in Middle-earth is treating him. Follow the link to read his comments and join in the discussion. Guillermo Del Toro Cameo..
Five years ago, while Peter Jackson was immersed in directing his large-scale remake of “King Kong” for Universal, executive Mary Parent mentioned a project the studio was developing based on the wildly popular video game “Halo.”
Jackson was intrigued. He loved to play “Halo” with his two teenage children; his special effects company, New Zealand-based WETA, seemed perfect to handle the FX; and a 15% tax rebate made a Kiwi shoot ideal for Universal and co-financier Fox. So Jackson agreed to produce, alongside his lifetime partner Fran Walsh and their colleague Carolynne Cunningham. Jackson would not direct, but he would find a promising young helmer to work under his supervision. When Parent suggested Neill Blomkamp, based on a short film of his she’d seen, the South Africa-born filmmaker left his home in Vancouver and flew to meet the Jackson team. More..