Simpson Purist

A real bummer, but it's probably for the better that Peter Jackson should move on and concentrate on other, more interesting projects like The Lovely Bones.

Jay G.

The Lovely Bones was going to be his next film no matter if he took the helm on these films or not. I think MGM was looking for him to take The Hobbit on as his next project after that film.

Josh H

I think he was saying he'd rather PJ keep doing original stuff like The Lovely Bones, rather than do that and then go back to the LOTR universe.

Jay G.

The Lovely Bones isn't that original; it's a book adaptation, just like The Hobbit would be.

shaggy

Its just amazing, that after each film makes like a billion dollars, wins oscars, and is almost unanimously praised by critics and the general public that a studio could pull this. If everything goes perfectly the LOTR prequels might make money and be OK films, but that is the best case scenario. They will lose every bit of goodwill they've earned from the Tolkien fanbase and I can't see any of the actors returning.

Jay G.

Are you upset about them possibly dropping Peter Jackson, or that they're planning on making The Hobbit, period?

RoboDad

Uh, no, they won't. They might lose the good will of some of the fans of the films, and some of those who are bigger Peter Jackson fans than they are Tolkien fans, but rest assured, there will be plenty of Tolkien fans who will still be looking forward to The Hobbit. I know, because I'm one of them.

kgrogers1979

Peter Jackson will be a loss, but hopefully they can get another good director to replace him. Could you imagine if Michael Bay or Uwe Boll gets their hands on this. We would probably see hobbits with machine guns, liquid metal cyborg dwarves, and dragons with gatling guns attached to their wings.

shaggy

Upset is too strong of a word, I'm not a LOTR freak but I think dropping Peter Jackson is a big artistic mistake and financial one. Its not like PJ doesn't want to do it. He was ready to do it. My original post was just the amazement that they would want to mess with a film franchise that has gone near perfectly and has been a success on every level. Its not like they couldn't work out a deal where everyone makes a boat load of money.

shaggy

I guess time will tell who is in the minority here. But after the job he did on the LOTR do you really want to see different actors, a different look, tone, etc?

joshd2012

Different actors or look would definitely not be welcome. But The Hobbit had a much different tone than LOTR - so mabye a change in directors could bring that to the movie?

exharrison

Gandalf needs to be the same. Bilbo could be someone else. Who else do we really need to worry about being the same actor?

Jay G.

Gollum would be another recurring character. Elrond has a small role in The Hobbit as well. Other Elves or long-lived characters could also make cameos, like Galadriel, Legolas, Aragorn, and Saruman. Gimli also is old enough that he could show up in the Hobbit or the "prequel."

However, I don't see why shaggy thinks that they'd get all new actors just because they aren't using the same director. There are scores of sequels and continuations out that that switched directors but kept the same actors, for example the Superman sequels, X-Men 3, Die Hard 2, Bridget Jones 2, Legally Blonde 2, the Saw sequels, etc.

Jay G.

Why are you amazed that a movie studio would want to capitalize on the success of a film series? You're talking about the movie studio that made 6 sequels to Nightmare on Elm Street, 9 sequels to Friday the 13th, then combined the two franchises for a versus movie.

At least with The Hobbit, the material already exists, and has since before LOTR was ever written. It's been anticipated by fans that New Line and Peter Jackson would also film The Hobbit since word about the LOTR films came out. Most fans seem to really want this to happen, with the ones that don't being of the type who didn't like the LOTR films either.

exharrison

I would rather them not, but I think you could get another voice actor for Gollum. I will concede on Elrond. I would like him to be Weaving. The cameos-I don't think it is necessary to have those, so you could get by without the characters. And Gimli should not show up in it. I think its his relative in it, so there is really no reason to force his way into it unless John Rhys-Davis wants to be int he movie.

Bugg

Nitpicking here but New Line only made the last 2 Friday the 13th movies.

MoviePage

This is all posturing. Expect a few weeks of this being the story, and then the big news of a deal being made between Jackson and New Line.

Anubis2005X

Yeah, this is like Emma Watson bein' all like "Hmm, I'm not really sure if I'm gonna be in Harry Potter 6 or 7..." B freakin' S...

darqleo

Sam Raimi (Evil Dead movies, Spider-Man movies) was reportedly asked to fill the director's chair...
http://www.theonering.net/

darqleo

Saul Zaentz says F you, New Line, PJ will be onboard:

http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1164265935

Anubis2005X

Does this mean that there could be two completely different hobbit movies? New Line might rush out a piece of crap, and PJ and Saul could make the "real" version themselves later. I don't see New Line just letting Hobbit go next year w/o trying to do something with it themselves...

Jay G.

Saul's comments seem odd, based on what I know about film rights and film options. It seems to me that New Line's option on the Hobbit will only expire if they don't make the film. If they do, then they'd retain the film rights to the book. It's like how that Roger Corman produced Fantastic Four movie was made solely to retain the film rights to the comic.

Maybe Saul's comments were based on him assuming New Line won't be able to make the film in time.

gerrythedon

Chances Peter Jackson Directs 'The Hobbit'? Not Good!

Wow, some hateful speak coming out of New Line head

For those of you holding your breath for that big announcement that Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema and MGM Studios are moving forward on the two rumored Hobbit films may want to breathe, because it doesn't sound like it is going to happen, at least not with that trio.
I was just sent a link to a January 7 article over at SCI-FI in which New Line head Robert Shaye is quoted with some hateful words toward Jackson concerning the lawsuit Jackson brought against the studio when his production company, Wingnut Films, claimed it has been shortchanged profits from part one of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Check out these Shaye quotes:

"I do not want to make a movie with somebody who is suing me."
"There's a kind of arrogance... Not that I don't think Peter is a good filmmaker and that he hasn't contributed significantly to filmography and made three very good movies. And I don't even expect him to say 'thank you' for having me make it happen and having New Line make it happen. But to think that I, as a functionary in [a] company that has been around for a long time, but is now owned by a very big conglomerate, would care one bit about trying to cheat the guy, ... he's either had very poor counsel or is completely misinformed and myopic to think that I care whether I give him [anything]."

"He got a quarter of a billion dollars paid to him so far, justifiably, according to contract, completely right, and this guy, who already has received a quarter of a billion dollars, turns around without wanting to have a discussion with us and sues us and refuses to discuss it unless we just give in to his plan. I don't want to work with that guy anymore. Why would I? So the answer is he will never make any movie with New Line Cinema again while I'm still working for the company."

"I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore. He wants to have another $100 million or $50 million, whatever he's suing us for. He doesn't want to sit down and talk about it. He thinks that we owe him something after we've paid him over a quarter of a billion dollars. ... Cheers, Peter."

I don't know about the rest of you, but no matter how much money I have been paid, if someone or some company owes me $50-100 million, I want it.
It seems this has turned into quite the shitty situation as Shaye even says that many of the Rings actors have declined to participate in celebrating New Line's 40th anniversary. Damn, this doesn't look friendly.

ROPEOFSILICON.com

Cameron

If I were Jackson I'd stay clear of the hobbit anyways...No doubt he could do a good job, but thats a step backwards in my book. Fanboys will build it up in their minds and ultimatley be dissapointed. (Phantom Menace syndrome)

The Reaper

I like P.J. and all but I'm with New Line on this one.