Guillermo del ToroAs was predicted last week, the legal rumblings between the Tolkien Estate and New Line have come to an end and the path is now clear for ‘The Hobbit’ film(s). Here’s the official press release:

The Tolkien Trust (a UK registered charity), New Line Cinema, and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. have resolved the lawsuit relating to the “Lord of the Rings” films.

The claim was filed in February of last year. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. and the trustees of the JRR Tolkien Estate were co-plaintiffs in the claim, which concerned plaintiffs’ participation interest in the “Lord of the Rings” films released between 2001 and 2003. The precise terms of the settlement are confidential.

Continue reading “Reuters: The Tolkien Trust, New Line Cinema and HarperCollins Settle ‘Lord of the Rings’ Lawsuit”

moneyThe Tolkien Estate and New Line Cinema have reached a tentative settlement in the court battle over money from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy of films that have grossed around $3 billion. TheOneRing.net message board member Voronwë_the_Faithful has written to give us the absolute world-wide scoop. He managed to mine a great nugget of information from the L.A. Superior Court and has written the following:

“A tentative settlement has been reached in the case. The parties have filed a stipulation that explicitly states that ‘the parties have entered into a binding term sheet settling this matter, which term sheet is subject to certain necessary ratifications, which may take up to several weeks to obtain.’

“In other words, a settlement has been reached, but it needs to be approved by certain unnamed individuals/entities. I’m sure it is a complicated settlement, and I’m relatively sure that it includes specifications to ensure that payments are made on the Hobbit films, so I assume that one of the ratifications needs to come from Warner. Continue reading “Exclusive: Tentative settlement reached in Tolkien v. New Line, it appears that ‘The Hobbit’ movie is safe”