Quint over at Aintitcool has a report that Australian Jack Thompson is “up for Thorin in The Hobbit”….
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Quint over at Aintitcool has a report that Australian Jack Thompson is “up for Thorin in The Hobbit”. The writer labels it a “rumor” so don’t jump to any conclusions and being “up for” a film probably means he has or will have an audition.
The pair of films based on “The Hobbit,” are waiting for a greenlight from the studios because one of the 50 percent owners of the potential revenue (MGM) has its future up in the air. Continue reading “What Thorin might look like”
The Wall Street Journal reports today that the Imax Corporation has signed a deal with studio Warner Brothers to release up to 20 films through 2013.
Among the 15 films whose release dates are pending confirmation are Dark Shadows, Superman, and Batman 3.
The remaining 5 films that have been “locked” are the last two installments of the Harry Potter franchise: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (in 3D), Happy Feet 2, and The Hobbit in December 2013.
The snippet of the article gives no indication about whether the December 2013 release time frame pertains to the first or the second Hobbit film, nor whether the films will be in 3D. Only subscribers to the Wall Street Journal have access to the entire article, so anyone with the ability to do so is welcome to send in any details concerning The Hobbit films that might be in there to spymaster@theonering.net.
UPDATE: We’ve just received word that news about the 2013 release is WRONG, sorta. The FIRST Hobbit film is still set for 2012, and the second is set for 2013.
This was reported incorrectly on an IMAX press release and was picked up across the interweb.
Michael Pellerin has long been a much admired figure for his work on the standard-setting “Lord of the Rings” Extended Edition DVDs and his contributions to our sister site “KongIsKing.net” where you can still see the final goodbye from the production diaries. He is a key figure in what the world knows about the whole LOTR production. With the release of the movie trilogy on Blu-ray, Pellerin has turned in a written account that covers a lot of ground that only he is in a position to explain. It is a great read, full of interesting information:
Such as:
“Peter (Jackson) and I began talking about LOTR on HD as far back as 2001 – during the making of the films. As we knew the film would eventually be released in some yet-to-be-determined HD format, we began planning The Lord of the Rings HD Box Set from the very beginning, nearly a decade ago.”
And this bit about the ultimate box set which does not yet exist:
“We had made a very conscious decision to make everything on the original Appendices Supplemental discs very specifically about the technical process of making the three films, as told by the many, many voices of the people who made them. Therefore, anything that was not specific to that goal, or approach, we saved for the Box Set.”
His own words can be read right here, so enjoy and thanks to message board members Patty and Oscarilbo for finding the interview.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Peter Jackson, Executive Producer of the upcoming Hobbit films says of the films’ behind-the-scenes footage that “We’ve been filming DVD material for about a year. Guillermo has been doing location scouts and design work, with the DVD people following him around, so we’ve shot 20 or 30 hours of DVD material so far and we’re still a few months away from the first day of shooting.”
Asked about converting the LOTR films to 3D, he says, “You can do [2D to 3D] conversions well if you take time. If you do it quickly, fast and cheap, it’s not going to turn out well. If we were going to convert LOTR, I’d want to do it properly, which would be a very long, time-consuming, and expensive process.”
Lastly, his opinion on the not-so-positive fan reaction to the recently released Theatrical BluRay version seems to jibe with the majority of the fans. “I agree with the fans”, he says. “I was heavily involved in the DVD process when the films were being released through New Line, but now that Warner Brothers has taken control over the releasing of the films, they just tell me what they’re doing and don’t involve me in the process. [With New Line,] the one thing we never did with the fans was make them feel cheated. Back in the original release, we always put extra material in, extra documentaries — a lot of added value. I so totally understand why the fans would be upset; I don’t disagree with them.”
Read the entire interview over at The Wall Street Journal.
Thanks to Patty on our message boards for alerting us to this interview.
Investors want to give MGM $500 million to start making new productions according to Nikki Finke at Deadline.com. Relativity Media, backed by a hedge fund, must see the profit potential in projects and properties like “The Hobbit” and further James Bond films. The report says this offer was made three weeks ago which means they probably weren’t following TORn’s advice, but maybe those holding MGM’s $3.7 billion debt will, and allow this to happen. In any case, the auction for MGM seems to be dead. If this deal is accepted, “The Hobbit,” could go forward right away. One also wonders if last Thursday’s long meeting was more about urging the bondholders to accept an offer like this and less about asking them for more money directly. Of course, investors may also want to carefully watch their money and that taps into the deepest fears of financiers wanting creative input into films. But with the LOTR track record of Producer Peter Jackson and proven visionary Guillermo del Toro directing, those fears are tempered. Thanks to Sunflower on our message boards and the many pairs of eyes keeping us up to date.
According to this credible report from excellent Hollywood journalist Nikki Finke, MGM is asking for money and wants the cash to function as a studio and make back the money it owes to its debtholders. She says, “…Last Thursday, right before Easter weekend, MGM Management gave an 8-hour presentation in the old MGM Screening Room to the creditors.” Apparently the creditors’ questions revealed they may not fully understand the film business. Current offers in the auction of the studio are unlikely to be accepted. Credit Finke for not jumping to conclusions and admitting the next step is anybody’s guess. For our “Hobbit” centric audience, Guillermo del Toro says this is indeed an obstacle for getting a green light on the films he is ready to direct. Thanks to Sunflower from our message boards for the tip!
