As Guillermo Del Toro promised on the day the story broke here at TheOneRing.net of his departure from The Hobbit, he stopped by our message boards today with a few more comment for the fans:

“So – while the cited delays, contractual complexities or obstacles, cannot be attributed to a single event or entity – you will simply have to believe that they were of sufficient complexity and severity to lead to the current situation. Trust me on this,  leaving NZ and the Hobbit crew is extremely painful. As stated before- a wealth of designs, animatics, boards and sculptures is left behind representing accurately my ideas for Mirkwood, Spiders, Wargs, Stone Trolls, etc, etc and everyone (PJ, FW, PB and myself) has the same goal in mind: to try and ensure the best possible transition of the movie to a new director.”

We at TheOneRing.net consider it a privilege to count Guillermo among our readers, members and friends and hope our relationship continues well into the future. We wish him well in wrapping up his involvement in The Hobbit and in all his future endeavors. Guillermo’s entire message can be found here.

We received more images and video of a very large animal trekking its way to Universal Studios! This time, it is leaving a path of destruction through Los Angeles’s famous Santa Monica Pier. Check out the video above, and we’ve got a few great photos posted after the break. (Obviously this is a promotion for Peter Jackson’s KING KONG 360 3-D Ride that will be opening at Universal Studios Hollywood very soon – and since it is such a fun promotion, we just have to share it with you all!)
Continue reading “Peter Jackson’s KING KONG continues his trek through LA…”

Will MGM’s creditors sell the studio or run the studio? The waiting, figuring and speculation continues. No matter which option they choose, debtholders must realize that Guillermo del Toro walking away from the project because of the delayed greenlight was another loss to the value of the venerable studio. Scrambling for a new director or forcing Peter Jackson to sit in a director’s chair he passed on isn’t ideal for anybody’s bottom line. www.businessweek.com breaks down the latest figures, rumors and actions of the studios and lenders involved. Tom Cruise even manages to get mentioned in the story. Read and learn! Thanks to message board member Pipeline Pipe Dream for finding the story.

From our pal John Campea at amcentertainment.com: As most of you have heard by now, this past weekend it was announced that director Guillermo del Toro has stepped down from the upcoming “The Hobbit” films.

Del Toro has been with the film for 2 years now, but according to his official statements, the number of delays in getting production started has now brought shooting the film in conflict with other films he is committed to. We had a chance to talk with several film pundits to get their reaction to the news and what… if anything… this means to the future of “The Hobbit” movies.