With the many rumors circulating about the Tolkien vs. New Line lawsuit and what impact it might have on The Hobbit, it’s easy to get confused about the facts. Lucky for TORn, Douglas C. Kane, a.k.a. Voronwe the Faithful from our message boards, an attorney who has been closely following the case, has crafted an outstanding primer of all things “Tolkien Lawsuit.”
“There has been a lot of misconception and misinformation swirling around regarding the lawsuit that has been filed by the Tolkien family against New Line. Media reports have claimed that it was a “last crusade” by Tolkien’s son Christopher to stop the upcoming Hobbit films. Some have gone so far as to report that the famously reclusive Christopher (who lives in France) was scheduled to appear in court this past week and that a judgment was going to be issued. These reports are untrue.”
Continue reading “Clearing up Misconceptions Regarding the Tolkien vs. New Line Lawsuit”
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A special thanks to TORn board member Voronwë_the_Faithful for posting this in the TORn forums concerning the Tolkien vs. New Line/MGM lawsuit:
…The court’s website now shows that a trial date has been set, for October 19, 2009. It is scheduled to be a jury trial, with a 15-20 day time estimate. The court also scheduled two more status conferences, for December 8, 2008 and October 9, 2009.
I should caution that it is very common for trial dates to get continued, so there is no guarantee at all that the trial will happen then, even if the case does not settle for then. And there will be a lot more legal manuevering between now and then.
Join in the discussion in our message boards! [TORn Forum]
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Message board member Woodyend alerts us to an upcoming judgement in the case of Christopher Tolkien vs. New Line Cinema. The lawsuit claims the Tolkien family is owed £80m by New Line Cinema under a deal for a 7.5% share of profits that was signed in 1969. Here is an excerpt of what The Times Online reported back on May 25th:
“At a hearing on June 6 Christopher Tolkien will ask a Californian judge to back his claim that he can “terminate” film rights to The Hobbit. He is said to be furious with the New Line studio, which earned £3 billion from the Rings trilogy. Tolkien’s lawyers accuse New Line of “accounting chicanery”. Warner Bros, owner of New Line, declined to comment.”
Sounds like things could get heated! TORn will update Ringers on any developments as they come in to our email. For some great reporting and perspective on this story, check out our good friend Kristen Thompson’s ‘Frodo Franchise’ blog as well. [Times Online] [Frodo Franchise]
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Author James A. Owen has just released cover art for The Indigo King, the third book of his Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series, which features three Inklings – J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams- as the heroes of the story.
As Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica -the Atlas of Imaginary Places- they embark on an adventure that will change their lives and decide the fate of both the Fantasy World, and ours.
The Indigo King, to be released October 21, 2008, is the third book of James A. Owen’s series which debuted with Here, There be Dragons in 2006 and continued with The Search for the Red Dragon on January 2008. [Coppervale]
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A relative of one of Birmingham’s most famous sons has stepped in to boost one of the city’s biggest regeneration projects. Metal sculptor Tim Tolkien, great-nephew of The Hobbit writer JRR Tolkien, is working with fellow artist Eric Klein Velderman and a group of children on a giant piece of artwork for the Icknield Port Loop, in Ladywood. The work, a rectangle of mirrored polished steel, was unveiled at a ceremony attended by some of the 150 children involved in creating it. The structure, which resembles a monster-sized photograph frame, will have pride of the place in the new-look canalside area when the ambitious scheme is finished. Relative of JRR Tolkein boosts regeneration project
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Future “Hobbit” director Guillermo del Toro and former “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson sat down with a world-wide internet audience and answered a lot more than the announced “20 questions” this weekend.
Hosted by Weta, there were a lot of minor details and significant confirmations and revelations about the gigantic production that will yield two “Hobbit” related movies, one in 2011 and the second in 2012.
Peter Jackson said,
“2009 will be dedicated to pre-production on both movies and 2010 will be the year we shoot both films back to back. Post productin follows one film at a time with The Hobbit being released Dec(ember) 2011, and F2 (film two) release(d) Dec(ember) 2012.”
Continue reading “Hobbit chat with Peter Jackson and G. del Toro peppered with big news (and little details about both films)”
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