Even if our prayers are answered and PJ and the key LOTR players are back we're still looking at Christmas 09. (preproduction next yr, filming in 08, etc..) It'd be worth the wait tho...

I guess if splitting gives us more Hobbit I'd be for it...

Yeah, considering that MGM didn't get any money from the LOTR films, they probably want to capitalize on their property tie-in as much as they can.

I haven't read the book in a really long time, is there an easy place half-way through the book to stop and still have a complete film one, with no cliff-hanger ending?

For all those begging for a live-action HOBBIT, don't forget the last time a prequel was made to a popular trilogy.

Sometimes, you can't (and shouldn't) go home again.

If PJ stops directing and waits 15 yrs I'd agree. :)

Very big difference with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings being books way before the movies were made and Star Wars trilogy and Lucas trying to make up stories that fit as prequels.

I also think it should just be one 3 hour movie (4 hour EE dvd though) instead of trying to milk two movies out of it. What would they call it if they made 2 movies The Hobbit part 1 and part 2? That would be stupid.

Funny thing is, New Line OR MGM have yet to talk to PJ about it.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/24456

As cool as it would be to see The Hobbit as a live-action film, I think for most audience members it would be anti-climatic after the spectacle of LotR.

I think you'd see a pretty epic Battle of the 5 Armies, though I can't imagine it being anyway where near as epic and personal as Pelennor Fields.

Yeah, it's an important distinction in that the LOTR films were made with The Hobbit already a fully-formed story in the universe. FOTR even makes some references to the Hobbit, with Bilbo's storytelling at his party and the Fellowship camping out underneath the stone trolls.

Interestingly, for those upset with the newer alterations to Star Wars ep IV-VI to help them "fit" with the prequels, Tolkien did the same thing to The Hobbit after writing LOTR, such as changing the passage with Gollum to better fit with the character and the ring presented in the later book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hob...native_version

Maybe they could subtitle part one "There", and part two "Back Again." ;)

A fire breathing dragon, a battle between 5 armies, and gandalf, gandalf, gandalf. What's not to like?

I just don't see this happening. Can you Imagine the budget for this? PJ will probably want 30 million upfront, with some actiong on the backside also.

Oh I think it will most definitely happen at some juncture. Can you imagine the money this thing will make? Figure in domestic/overseas and DVD sales.
This could be the cash cow of all cash cows.

This is one you could easily justify 200-250million for. I'd say it's good for at least 800million worldwide.

It's also more family-friendly than LOTR. If done right (as in PJ + WETA), this thing could be the mother of all sure bets.

Just curious where do you all think the break in the movies would be if they went with a 2-parter. Spoiler it if you feel necessary.

Who would play Bilbo? Wouldn't Ian Holm be a bit old for the role?

Bilbo should be even younger than Holm was in Fellowship - finding a replacement for him shouldn't too tough. But they better be able to get Sir Ian for Gandalf.

Why? When Gandalf first sees Bilbo in Fellowship says "you haven't aged a day."

Of course, Holm had all his skin pulled tight on him for those early shots, I don't know if he'd want to do a full 2-movie shoot like that. Maybe they could digitally erase his wrinkles. However, I'm not entirely against another actor taking the part either.

It'd be kinda cool if they just pulled an X3 with the whole youth CG process, just for continuities sake, but whatever.

You mean this?
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/hd...astic_surgery/
http://www.fxguide.com/article357.html

I wonder how much it cost to do that 3 minute sequence?

It's been awhile since I've read the books, but hadn't Bilbo been home for awhile between Hobbit and Fellowship, and wouldn't Gandalf had visited him in those years? His comment is obviously "since last time I saw you," but that could still be years after Hobbit.

Or, he could just get real plastic surgery. ;)

I don't know about the books, but in the context of the film, we see Bilbo when he finds the ring, which occurs in The Hobbit. Ian's look doesn't change between that scene and his birthday party, so obviously he hasn't "aged a day" since the events of The Hobbit.

Just answring your firs tquestion here. In the book the Hobbit ends and the Fellowship begins 60 years later. However Bilbo leaves at his birthday and turns the ring over to Gandalf who leaves the ring with Frodo and goes out to research the origins of the ring. So the start of Frodos journey takes place 17 additional years later. so the time from Bilbos first journey in the Hobbit and Frodos first journey in Fellowship is roughly 77 years. In the movie you dont get the sense of that much time passing from when Bilbo leaves for Rivendell and Frodo sets out on his journey.

I would very much like to see The Hobbit. I think it would have a lot of appeal, simply for the dragon.