“The Hobbit” is still on hold.
A report in the New Zealand Herald quotes a spokesman for director-producer Peter Jackson as saying, “Warner Brothers are running financial models about the costs of shooting in a variety of countries. We expect a decision is still a week or two away.”
This came despite a meeting today between union and management representatives, which a statement characterized as “a useful and productive discussion.” Jackson’s spokesman told the Herald that the “Hobbit” situation remained unchanged following the meeting. More..
From The Hollywood Reporter: LONDON — Orlando Bloom has pulled out of Lone Scherfig’s “An Education” because of scheduling clashes just as the movie began rolling, the producers said Monday. Bloom was replaced by Dominic Cooper (“The History Boys”) in the movie penned by oft-adapted British novelist Nick Hornby. Producers have moved quickly to replace Bloom on the film, which began shooting Monday and will be in front of the cameras until May on location in and around London, Oxford and Paris. 
Back Stage and The Hollywood Reporter continued their Evening With series of screenings and cast-and-crew discussions last week with Eastern Promises and Lars and the Real Girl. On Dec. 6, Viggo Mortensen sat down with Back Stage National Film & TV Editor Jenelle Riley for a Q&A following the screening of Eastern Promises at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood, Calif. David Cronenberg’s film, set in London, tells the story of a Russian man (Mortensen) caught in a moral quandary between honoring his loyalty to his organized-crime family and his desire to help an innocent woman (Naomi Watts).