A New Zealand film website has declared, from its own independent sources, that Neill Blomkamp (District 9) will be directing a pair of movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” It was also kind enough to point out that we broke the story as a possibility in June.
The Kiwi site isn’t known for rumor mongering so this is a definitely an interesting possibility that might be pointing to increased Hobbit activity and a semblance of leadership at MGM and a future for these potential gigantic hits (and fan favorites) to get made. Thanks to message board user Magpie for posting this in our forum and to Ataahua for alerting us to the post. You can read the original June forum response here. And, of course, stay tuned for the latest on all things Hobbit, Tolkien and Middle-earth.
NYMag.com says that Neill Blomkamp will not direct a pair of ‘Hobbit’ movies to be produced by Peter Jackson. The online magazine cites an insider at William Morris Endeavor, Blomkamp’s agency, with the info that not only will he not be directing, he was never contacted by Warner Bros. or MGM.
TORn didn’t say Blomkamp would direct, only that a source claimed to have viewed a film breakdown and a lot of the sources info fit with other whispers from other sources. The shortest line between Blomkamp and the film would run though New Zealand and Jackson, not L.A. studios, but NYMag isn’t going to make the report unless its source is solid. Read the whole account right here.
We know Jackson will be in Los Angeles next week and have heard he is there now meeting with studios who are trying to get him to sit in the director’s chair. We have further heard some of his high-placed team is in London working on casting.
Before anybody gets crazy, let me be clear that we are not reporting that Neill Blomkamp is the director of ‘The Hobbit’. I am not ready to put my name or TheOneRing’s name on a story that says this is fact.
However, we did receive a spy report that stated it as cold, hard, unsurprising fact. We haven’t been able to get a verification but the tip stated some other information on the side that fits with other info from other sources. A bunch of little pieces of information, some rock solid, some unclear, start to form a big picture that looks like it could have Blomkamp in it. I promise to explain it all if you will keep reading!
MGM and Warner Bros. want Peter Jackson to direct both movies adapted from “The Hobbit.” They are trying to talk him into it because his name can carry the films and is an obvious and bankable marketing strategy. Continue reading “Neill Blomkamp is the ‘Hobbit’ director – maybe”
From scifimoviepage.com: Feel that District 9, the Peter Jackson-produced sci-fi box office hit about alien refugees in Johannesburg, South Africa being made to live in squatter camps has too much of an open-ended ending? Then don’t fear. According to director Neill Blomkamp the studio already “wants” a sequel! And who can blame them? Boasting some impressive special effects by Jackson’s WETA outfit, District 9 was made for a mere $30 million and has already scored an impressive $37.4 million at the US box office over the weekend making it the number one hit, edging out GI Joe: Rise of Cobra to the number two spot in the process. (In contrast the budget for GI Joe was rumored to be $170 million!) More..
Xoanon here, of note is the fact that Blomkamp mentions that filming for The Hobbit is expected to last 370 days, starting in April 2010.
Staffer MrCere has a day job where he occasionally writes about LOTR related items. Check out his article on the buzz-generating ‘District 9’ and its producer Peter Jackson and director Neill Blomkamp. It starts, “In a summer filled with big-budget movies featuring brand names such as “Transformers,” “G.I. Joe,” “Star Trek” and “Harry Potter,” Peter Jackson knew that the low-budget, aliens-on-earth tale “District 9,” which he produced, couldn’t succeed if it took the same special effects-heavy approach as those films.” Read it here.
NEW YORK – This week’s Entertainment Weekly names District 9, a film with no big names and a small budget, the must see movie of the summer. While many have yet to hear of it, by next week it may be all moviegoers talk about.
It has no stars, it was made for relatively little money ($30 million) by a 29-year-old South African-born director whom nobody’s ever heard of, Neill Blomkamp, and its action-packed plot is tinged with a surprising moral intelligence, but it may turn out to be the most unlikely sci-fi blockbuster of the season. It’s the most satisfying sci-fi thrill ride of the summer, but it also turns out to be sort of an apartheid allegory. R20;ItR17;s an utterly original film,” says District 9’s single A-list name, producer Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings). R20;In an industry that’s looking to make movies out of every obscure TV show, or sequels, or videogames, you look at District 9 and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.” Continue reading “EW Names ‘District 9’ The Must-See Movie of the Summer”
