The Hobbit
#2
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So far the official word is that they are not doing The Hobbit. Although I can't find the link, I know that Peter Jackson said in an interview that he was done after these three films. Ian McKellen has stated in interviews and on his web site that he would not be interested in playing Gandalf again if they decide to make it.
From a financial standpoint, making the "prequel" to this series seems like a no-brainer. And for that reason alone, I suspect it will probably happen within a few years of 2003. This property is too hot for Warner/New Line to just ignore it after the trilogy.
But, from a fan's standpoint, I have to wonder how much of the original team (both cast and crew) they will be able to convince to participate. Making a live-action Hobbit that has a different cast and a different level of quality is less appealing to me.
From a financial standpoint, making the "prequel" to this series seems like a no-brainer. And for that reason alone, I suspect it will probably happen within a few years of 2003. This property is too hot for Warner/New Line to just ignore it after the trilogy.
But, from a fan's standpoint, I have to wonder how much of the original team (both cast and crew) they will be able to convince to participate. Making a live-action Hobbit that has a different cast and a different level of quality is less appealing to me.
#3
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Originally posted by bboisvert
But, from a fan's standpoint, I have to wonder how much of the original team (both cast and crew) they will be able to convince to participate. Making a live-action Hobbit that has a different cast and a different level of quality is less appealing to me.
But, from a fan's standpoint, I have to wonder how much of the original team (both cast and crew) they will be able to convince to participate. Making a live-action Hobbit that has a different cast and a different level of quality is less appealing to me.
If it weren't for the fact that the FX would be cheesy, I would recommend making The Hobbit a live action mini series from Hallmark entertainment with work by Jim Henson's Creature shop!
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I have also heard that Peter Jackson said that he is a no go. I hadn't heard the same about Ian McKellan. I think that they could make do without Ian Holm (as he is barely in FOTR), but McKellan would be hard to replace. I could see maybe Patrick Stewart with a good makeup job replacing him though . . . I like the idea of a Hallmark/Henson collaboration!
#5
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Originally posted by Abob Teff
I hadn't heard the same about Ian McKellan.
I hadn't heard the same about Ian McKellan.
http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/st...--9830,00.html
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I'd love to see a movie for The Hobbit... but, knowing Hollywood, it would be a sucky attempt at a prequel to make extra money off of a movie that was really good, and in the long run will just make the whole franchise stinkier than it was before.
#7
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The Hobbit does take place 60 years before The Lord of the RIngs so i would make sense to have someone else play Gandalf. I would love to see it, but i also would love to see Jackson direct it.
Last edited by paradicelost; 01-05-03 at 02:44 PM.
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Originally posted by paradicelost
The Hobbit does take place 60 years before The Lord of the Rings so i would make sense to have someone else play Gandalf. I would love to see it, but i also would love to see Jackson direct it.
The Hobbit does take place 60 years before The Lord of the Rings so i would make sense to have someone else play Gandalf. I would love to see it, but i also would love to see Jackson direct it.
Although, since the movie eliminated that time, Gandalf would only be 60 years older in movie-time.
As to Gandalf not aging, read this (from The Fellowship of the Ring: )
Gandalf was thinking of a spring nearly eighty years before, when Bilbo had run out of Bag End without a handkerchief. His hair was perhaps whiter than it had been, and his beard and eyebrows were perhaps longer, and his face more lined with care and wisdom; but his eyes were as bright as ever, and he smoked and blew smoke-rings with the same vigor and delight.
Last edited by littlefuzzy; 01-05-03 at 07:53 PM.
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Originally posted by littlefuzzy
Although, since the movie eliminated that time, Gandalf would only be 60 years older in movie-time.
Although, since the movie eliminated that time, Gandalf would only be 60 years older in movie-time.
#13
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It would be a very cool thing to see Smaug in action on the big screen, would it not?
And as for Gandalf... 80 years isn't anything to a Wizard. I'm thinking that Gandalf is about a thousand years old at the time of LOTR. The Istari (Wizards) age very slowly. I'm pretty sure they were all old men when the Valar sent them to Middle Earth.
And as for Gandalf... 80 years isn't anything to a Wizard. I'm thinking that Gandalf is about a thousand years old at the time of LOTR. The Istari (Wizards) age very slowly. I'm pretty sure they were all old men when the Valar sent them to Middle Earth.
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anyway ian mckellan is going to be doing dumbledore for the harry potter series it looks like. SO i am sure he is going to be busy.
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Any Chance of "The Hobbit" movie?
I know that Peter Jackson has "King Kong" that he is doing right after he finished up the final installment of the LOTR trilogy, but what about the prequel, "The Hobbit"? There is nobody better to direct this film than Peter Jackson himself. I heard that "new Line Cinema" has the rights to produce a film in the near future, but they don't know if PJ is going to direct or not, is this accurate?
I really would love to see this film be made. I think it would be a great choice, and i the studio is listening a Big $$$$$$$$(i.e. cash cow). If this is done right(i.e. getting PJ at the healm) this could be a fantastic prelude.
I really would love to see this film be made. I think it would be a great choice, and i the studio is listening a Big $$$$$$$$(i.e. cash cow). If this is done right(i.e. getting PJ at the healm) this could be a fantastic prelude.
#18
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Here are a few other threads on the same topic. But from what it looks like, he's got three projects lined up (two small films and King Kong), but you never know.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=204101
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=258824
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=204101
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=258824
#19
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It's hard to see PJ directing it, but I would suspect New Line would want to get a Hobbut movie going soon once the LOTR withdraw hits. Of course I have no sources for this, just speculation.
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I'm sure aol/time warner will want to do something with it, but PJ is moving on for the time being.
Last edited by Jackskeleton; 09-13-03 at 05:11 PM.
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As far as I know New Line has bought the rights to the book, but I see that mostly as a way to prevent some other studio from picking it up and turning it into a piece of shit movie. Peter Jackson has said that he is about exhausted with the world of LOTR, and I can't say I blame him. He's spent about 8 years of his life with the trilogy and he'd like to move onto something else.
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New Line owns the rights to make a Hobbit movie ... but the rights to *distribute* a Hobbit movie belong to someone else. So there's a big fat legal snarl to be worked out before a movie could be made.
PJ has said that New Line has never even asked him about doing a Hobbit movie, so I suspect tht legal snarl is pretty serious.
PJ has said that New Line has never even asked him about doing a Hobbit movie, so I suspect tht legal snarl is pretty serious.
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Peter Jackson has stated (in the LOTR fan club magazine) that he would be interested in directing THE HOBBIT, but New Line has never asked him. There are also some distribution issues concerning it. Below is the actual text from the most recent issue of The Official Movie Magazine.
From Issue #10:
From Issue #10:
Q: Do you think there we will ever see a live-action film version of THE HOBBIT, and, if so, would you be interested in being involved?
Peter Jackson: The answer to that is that New Line has never brought the topic up. If you can believe that, in the four or five years we've been working on this, the subject of THE HOBBIT has never come up once. I have literally never had a conversation with anyone from the studio about it. That is probably due to the fact that the film rights are not as easily available as THE LORD OF THE RINGS rights. Obviously New Line own LORD OF THE RINGS rights, and though their original deal included film rights to THE HOBBIT, the problem is that United Artists have the U.S. distribution rights to THE HOBBIT so even though New Line could make a feature film of THE HOBBIT, it would have to be distributed in the U.S. by United Artists. It could be distributed by New Line in foreign territories. I don't know about the video rights and who that would come under, but the film rights are a little bit encumbered at the moment, and I have no idea if New Line and United Artists have had any conversation. I certainly have not been privy to any discussions, and as I say, they have never actually asked me, which does surprise me. It surprises me when they have these first two movies, and possibly the third film, being so successful that they wouldn't be jumping at the chance of making a fourth film in the series, which is effectively what THE HOBBIT would be. I guess that may be something they will think about in the future. I would certainly be interested in being involved. I don't have any problems with the idea of doing THE HOBBIT. It is sort of an awkward thing to talk about because I haven't been asked by anybody, but if somebody did ask me to do THE HOBBIT, I would certainly be interested and give it serious consideration.
Peter Jackson: The answer to that is that New Line has never brought the topic up. If you can believe that, in the four or five years we've been working on this, the subject of THE HOBBIT has never come up once. I have literally never had a conversation with anyone from the studio about it. That is probably due to the fact that the film rights are not as easily available as THE LORD OF THE RINGS rights. Obviously New Line own LORD OF THE RINGS rights, and though their original deal included film rights to THE HOBBIT, the problem is that United Artists have the U.S. distribution rights to THE HOBBIT so even though New Line could make a feature film of THE HOBBIT, it would have to be distributed in the U.S. by United Artists. It could be distributed by New Line in foreign territories. I don't know about the video rights and who that would come under, but the film rights are a little bit encumbered at the moment, and I have no idea if New Line and United Artists have had any conversation. I certainly have not been privy to any discussions, and as I say, they have never actually asked me, which does surprise me. It surprises me when they have these first two movies, and possibly the third film, being so successful that they wouldn't be jumping at the chance of making a fourth film in the series, which is effectively what THE HOBBIT would be. I guess that may be something they will think about in the future. I would certainly be interested in being involved. I don't have any problems with the idea of doing THE HOBBIT. It is sort of an awkward thing to talk about because I haven't been asked by anybody, but if somebody did ask me to do THE HOBBIT, I would certainly be interested and give it serious consideration.
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I think one of the reasons PJ has stated in his arguments against doing The Hobbit is that it would arguably be harder to adapt than LOTR, if you can believe that. It is tonally so different from LOTR, it is even more of an episodic "road movie" than FOTR was, and you have these standards set by the later filmic reality of the trilogy. Serkis would have to be back as Gollum, McKellen as Gandalf, but what about a younger Bilbo? Ian Holm couldn't do it.
I would love to see it, but it's not something that PJ (at least) will be burning to do when he now has the wherewithal to realize any film project he wants to.
I would love to see it, but it's not something that PJ (at least) will be burning to do when he now has the wherewithal to realize any film project he wants to.