Category: New Line Cinema
Close Up’s Mark Sainsbury spoke with Sir Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens about the dispute surrounding The Hobbit. The location for the interview was the set for Gollum’s Cave currently under construction. The video can be viewed here.
Portions of the interview have been transcribed by TORn message board gem Ataahua who’s faithfully been keeping us updated of the scene as it unfolds down in New Zealand. Highlights from the transcription follow:
PJ: “There are sets behind us being made to shoot on. This is Gollum’s cave for goodness’ sake. It [the allegation that Warner Bros. always wanted to take The Hobbit overseas] is absolute junk. One month ago, no one in a million years thought this movie was going to leave the country. At that point [four weeks ago] the confidence in our country as a stable base to make movies was eroded. Is the movie going to come or go? We don’t know. Unfortunately, lifting the blacklist doesn’t have anyting to do with it: The damage will be done. Warners are coming here next Monday and we’ve got to fight like hell.”
Mark Sainsbury: “Right here, Thursday night, what is the status of The Hobbit?”
Philippa: “Probably going out the door.”
PJ: “Yeah. The studio are coming through on Monday and I’m wracking my brains to find out what they need to get the confidence that they need.”
The transcription can be viewed in over at our message boards using this link.
TORn message board member Owain has alerted us to an interview with NZ Prime Minister John Key over at the New Zealand Herald. Mr. Key believes The Hobbit movies can be saved and he says he is going to do his best to achieve that end when Warner Bros. executives arrive in New Zealand next week to begin preparations to move the films off-shore.
Here follow a few of his comments from the aforementioned interview:
“My concern is that if Warner Brothers deems New Zealand is not a good place to make movies, then there is a real risk other major film production companies will also believe that to be the case. There’s work to be done and the Government hasn’t given up trying to do its best to secure the movies. This is a very successful growth area for New Zealand and to have the film industry destroyed on the back of the actions of the unions is, I think, reprehensible.”
“I don’t think we should write off our chances of retaining the movies. Warner Brothers has already invested $100 million in The Hobbit movies so they have, historically at least, been of the view that New Zealand is a good place to make movies and it’s only the actions of the unions that encouraged them to start looking at other locations.”
The full interview is available at the news site of the New Zealand Herald.
Sir Peter Jackson was interviewed earlier today on New Zealand’s TV ONE on the future of the Hobbit films in New Zealand. Excerpts follow:
“It’s a question of confidence in our industrial relations and the damage was done within a week of the blacklist going on.”
“There are risks involved in movies, they have to be good films, they have to earn a profit and [studios] need the insurance factor that money is going into a stable industrial climate.”
“Up until a month ago, no one had even thought in a million years that this movie was going to leave the country. And then this blacklist was bought on, and the studio said ‘What the hell is going on?’ and we tried to figure out what the hell was going on. At that point confidence in our country as a stable base to make movies started to erode.”
Warner Bros. representatives will be flying down to New Zealand next week to begin preparations for moving the films off-shore, and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has made it known he is prepared to meet with them. However, PJ’s comments on the same seem to add veracity to the fact that the decision to keep the film in New Zealand is no longer in his hands.
“This is where I’m out of my depth. I can talk my way around the movie, but to tell the studio why investing $500 million in our country is a good idea when they’ve just seen the disgusting frivolous action that’s just happened, I don’t know what to say. The Prime Minister should say something because I certainly don’t know what to say.”
Read the entire interview over at New Zealand’s TV ONE.
SAG (The Screen Actors Guild) has released the following statement tonight:
“Today, our sister union New Zealand Actors Equity issued a statement recommending all international performer unions rescind their member advisories on the feature film production The Hobbit. In light of this recommendation, Screen Actors Guild will be alerting its members that they are now free to accept engagements, under Screen Actors Guild contract terms and conditions, on The Hobbit.”
While this is great news for the production, it does not necessarily mean all is well to film The Hobbit in New Zealand. Time will tell, and we’ll keep you updated! Thanks to all the readers out there who sent in this link. [Read on]
As news of the apparent resolution to this whole Hobbit mess hits the wire, we have more video to show you of the protest, and the local news coverage. First take a look at a fan made video of the protest, then a news report featuring Helen Kelly, president of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.