Variety had a sit-down with New Line chief Toby Emmerich about the state of the modest, smaller and newly profitable New Line film studio and its new existence under the Warner Bros. umbrella. The conversation turned of course to “The Hobbit.” We learn, among other things that executive Michael Disco will oversee the two movies for the studio. Variety also spoke with Warner’s Alan Horn who, according to the article, “… won’t predict when the first of the two “Hobbit” films will be out, but says the most probable scenario would be a release in the fourth quarter of 2012.”
It concludes with, “It’s a big bet for us. But it’s one we think will pay off given the success of ‘Lord of the Rings,'” says Emmerich. “This is one of the few movies it feels like people are waiting for.”
We know a few people who are indeed waiting for these films. In fact that “2012” date that just got thrown around may start a riot. Remember fans, biting your nails and tearing out you hair will not make things happen faster, nor will turning over cars or looting – the latter two reactions only lead to jail time. Read the whole story here.
The 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:
From IMDB: At least 75 percent of New Line’s staff of 600 are likely to be fired in the coming months despite assurances by Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes on Friday that he wants to retain as many New Line employees as possible, Daily Variety reported today (Monday), citing an “emerging consensus.” The trade publication said that New Line is also expected to shut down its offices in New York and its headquarters in West Hollywood, moving remaining operations to the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. Speaking to New Line employees by satellite on Friday, Bewkes said that Co-Chairmen Bob Shaye and Michael Lynn are “still here,” but “for everyone’s sake, they need to step back from the process.”
Kristin Thompson writes: I have now had a chance to go through the text of the Tolkien Trust’s suit against New Line with my lawyer as a guide. To help fans understand what’s going on, I’ve tried to lay out the basic facts of the case and what they may lead to as objectively as possible on