Grave news... (well, maybe not for those that are fans of the books, but not of PJ & Co.)

http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1163993546

Dammit, when I read your post, I mentally changed the words to "Great news". Obviously no great news was to be found in that article.

Well, it's too bad all this legal wrangling has put a damper on The Hobbit making it to the screen. I'm going to try to remain optimistic anyway.

That is terrible news and this sounds like another victory for studio greed. As much money as Peter Jackson made for New Line with the LOTR movies, you would think they would do whatever it takes to make sure he is happy. What happens if actors like Ian Holm or Ian McKellen now choose not to reprise their roles?

That is pretty terrible news. I don't think I'd want to see fantasy flicks based on LOTR without Jackson behind it.

this is horrible news. dammit

Yeah, part of me wants them to say "not without PJ." Whether that would be enough leverage for NL to reconsider is the question.

The thing is, this effectively takes all of Weta and it's LOTR assets (props, digital files, gollum) out of the picture doesn't it? Or could NL take those things and give them to another effects studio?

Sucks.

How so? If this were about studio greed, they would have easily seen that the amount Jackson was asking for would have been a small investment in the long run, considering the likely return that The Hobbit would/will make.

If there is any greed at work here, it is Jackson's. Has anyone read the whole story? The studio is up against a time wall. If they don't move forward now, then they could lose the project altogether. And, even Jackson admits that he doesn't know whether he has a case or not, yet he is still pursuing it. All he would need to do is let it go (I doubt the damages he is seeking amount to more than a small percentage of what he made over the subsequent films), and he would be able to move forward with both new Tolkien projects.

It's studio greed because this lawsuit was being developed before any real discussion on The Hobbit began. Peter Jackson is pursuing what he feels to be right at the current time, and would loved to have done those movies eventually. Of course, nobody wanted to wait for Jackson, they want it done now (with time constraints to the rights I understand), and so they're moving forward. That's what I got from the article more or less. We all know from X-Men 3, that waiting would be a better option, as I'm sure rights could be renewed. Jackson doesn't want to feel like he's been strong-armed by saying 'oh I'll drop the lawsuit and do The Hobbit now'. Because it would be silly to move ahead with a lawsuit pending for the same company. If he had to do it, he'd have to drop the lawsuit which is already somewhat in motion.

Either way, I don't care about the logistics of what's going on behind the scenes and who's right, and who's wrong. Bottom line here, is that The Hobbit isn't happening by Jackson, and it will be done by someone else. Very, very disappointing and there's nothing at this point we can do about it.

Agreed: terrible and disappointing news.

I can't believe New Line has dumped Peter & Fran . I pray the end result isn't craptacular.

It depends on who the film rights revert to. If they revert back to the Tolkien Estate, I wouldn't expect the film rights to be issued ever again. However, more likely it'll revert back to Saul Zaentz, who optioned the rights to NL in the first place. Zaentz may sell them to NL again, but likely at a much higher price, considering the success of LOTR. Zaentz may even decide to shop them to other studios, inducing a bidding war. I'm sure MGM would be interested in being the sole owner of the film rights to these films, both distribution and production. So considering the extra cost, the extra time in renegotiation, and the potential to completely lose the films, it's not surprising that NL is trying to get them made before their option expires.

It should be noted that NL wasn't asking PJ to drop the lawsuit. Instead, they were offering the settle the lawsuit now, most likely largely in PJ's favor, based on the contingency that PJ agree to film the Hobbit films. PJ decided against this course of action, despite wanting the lawsuit settled and also wanting to shoot the films, because he doesn't want his decision to film them based on a lawsuit.

I understand his logic.. but don't you think the desire to make the films would entice him to close things up and get started? He wants the lawsuit settled, he wants to make the films. New Line is offering to settle (likely in his favor as noted) and offering him the films.. what am I missing here?

Don't panic folks, if we're lucky Michael Bay will helm this. Imagine, Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery reunited as Bilbo and Gandalf respectively!

Your besht? Your besht? Losers always whine about their besht, winners go home and fuck Galadriel.

i think he is still an idealist and hoping for what he thinks is the right to prevail and doesn't want to be bought off by money. if he said yes, not like he can trust NL to pay him what they agree to in the contract

I was thinking of someone much worse... Brett Ratner.

From what Peter Jackson wrote, it sure does seem he is asking the impossible. He refused to do the movie if his lawsuit being settled is part of the deal. While it is tied up in the courts, the only way for New Line to get the project going is to settle the lawsuit - which would cause him not to do the project. They need to just kiss and make-up and start making movies together. I'm pretty sure he wants to do it, and New Line wants him to do it, so all they have to do is put the past behind them (settle the lawsuit) and move on.

That's what I gathered, and I don't get it. I understand not wantint to work with NL until the lawsuit is resolved (although damn, just send the thing to binding arbitration and get it over with). I understand not wanting to do a film you don't want to do as a condition of settlement. But by all accouonts he wants to do the film. So settling the lawsuit and doing the film seems like win-win. Refusing to do so just seems stubborn.

Of course I don't know all the details, having just read this article. There's probbaly more to the stroy. But from what I know right now, the reasons seem pretty petty to avoid doing what one actually wants to do.

Worse movie news I ever read. so where is the darn petition already so I can feel slightly better?

New Line doesn't have to settle the lawsuit with PJ to start the new films, they can do what they want. However, PJ has said that he won't work on the new films until the lawsuit is settled, which is why they're going with another director, since the lawsuit apparently won't be settled any time soon on its own. PJ indicates in the letter that NL would be willing to settle the lawsuit much sooner on condition of his taking the job as director of the new films, but he doesn't want to take on the job based on a lawsuit, but based solely on his desire to do the job.

One thing New Line could do is just settle the lawsuit with PJ real soon without the condition of PJ directing the films, and then offer him the job separately. However, that'd be a risk on NL's part since they'd settle the lawsuit at a disadvantage to them with no guarantee that PJ would take the job, so they could end up losing on both the lawsuit and the films.

From:
http://www.aintitcool.com/?q=node/30085

This interview was about 2 months ago, but it still may shed some light on this recent development. Basically he doesn't want The Hobbit to be a condition of the settlement because of bad karma. I think arranging the job to be a requirement of a settlement would lead everyone, including himself, to wonder at some point during the production if he took the job because he really wanted to, or because it'd settle his lawsuit. You don't really want to operate what's supposed to be a massive labor of love with that kind of doubt in everyone's mind.

On the other hand, PJ says in the interview that he doesn't think the lawsuit would get in the way of taking the job for the Hobbit, which it evidently has. So there may be other factors that he isn't mentioning that contributed to the falling-out.

For one, PJ also mentions in the interview that he didn't like the time constraints on the productions of LOTR and King Kong that caused them to start production on those films before having a finished script that they liked. Considering NL's stated rush to get the Hobbit films started before they lose the rights, that could've been a factor.

As pointed out at The One Ring--what's the likelihood that Ian McKellan & other "immortals" are going to want to come back if it's not a PJ project? Will WETA do the effects? Will they even film in New Zealand?

I'm guessing it will now be a direct to dvd movie starring Nick Cannon.

Ian McKellan did X-Men 3 without Singer, so there's some chance. It likely will depend on who New Line gets as a director, and whether or not they care about what PJ thinks, and whether PJ will care.

That's probably still up in the air, although it's not like WETA digital did all the effects for FOTR either. Also both WETA digital and WETA workshop have worked on non-PJ projects before, like Narnia.

I think this would be important, especially for previously established settings like Hobbiton.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=13&cs=1

An MGM spokesman said that "the matter of Peter Jackson directing 'The Hobbit' films is far from closed."

Well, that is some good news... I guess. Does MGM have any say in the matter? I realize they are distributing the film, but does that give them any say in who directs the film. And if MGM wants the Peter Jackson enough, couldn't they settle the lawsuit (give Jackson what he is asking for out of their pocket) to ensure that Jackson directed The Hobbit? I'm not sure if that would satisfy him, but it would at least get them talking (plus, they could leave whatever "accounting practices" Jackson was complaining about about of the new contract).

MGM owns the distribution rights, but they have probably parlayed those rights into a larger role in the prequels. Most likely, they will be co-producing the new films with New Line, with one studio taking domestic distribution and the other overseas distribution, much like the films Titanic and Master and Commander.

The lawsuit concerns millions of dollars of potential profits from the LOTR trilogy that PJ feels NL owes him. It seems doubtful that MGM would just pay PJ out of pocket several million dollars for something that is not their problem on top of whatever pay and profit participation PJ will want for directing the prequels.

However, MGM as co-producer could pressure NL into settling the lawsuit sooner rather than later.

They already were talking. PJ's letter had stated he had already scheduled a meeting with MGM to discuss the scheduling of the films when NL called him up and said he wasn't needed anymore.

Most likely whatever "accounting practices" PJ is suing over were not in his original contract for LOTR, otherwise he couldn't sue over them. For example, I know that at least part of the contract is over NL allegedly selling certain rights, like video rights, to its own subsidiaries or other divisions of WB at less than market price, thus denying PJ the maximum profit participation possible had the rights been auctioned off to the highest bidder, as stated in his contract.