The Hobbit

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/director-quits-hobbit-film-over-production-delay-ap
This is sad, sad news.

I'm hoping it means that Peter Jackson will step in and direct, and that Del Toro will get around to Hellboy 3 sooner.

Del Toro isn't directing anymore.

joegavilan wrote:I'm hoping it means that Peter Jackson will step in and direct, and that Del Toro will get around to Hellboy 3 sooner.

That's exactly what I thought when I heard this news. He needs another hit and the Hellboy idea is good too.

joegavilan wrote:I'm hoping it means that Peter Jackson will step in and direct, and that Del Toro will get around to Hellboy 3 sooner.

Seriously why wouldnt Peter Jackson finish his greatest series?? Theres nothing thats gonna come close to LOTR's and the Hobbit for Jackson ever again so why not?

Sounds like the studio needs to sell the movie to another and cash out before they go under.

http://hollywoodwiretap.com/?module=news&action=story&id=49234

Blomkamp?

Peter Jackson to direct The Hobbit films!

http://www.deadline.com/2010/06/urgent-peter-jackson-negotiating-to-direct-the-hobbit-films/

^ *whew*

A) Major bucks went his way, B) He was like, "Aw, Hell no. You guys are not screwing this up," or C) A and B combined.

That's wonderful news!

oh thank Christ! I am so happy to hear this!

Filming on The Hobbit, the long-awaited prequel to The Lord of the Rings, should start in the new year, according to former Bolton School boy Sir Ian McKellen.

“The aim is to start filming in January,” he said.

The actor is slated to reprise his role as the wizard Gandalf, for which he received two Oscar nominations, but has said he wouldn’t be “sitting waiting” for shooting to start.

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/districtnews/8386491.Actor_set_to_return_as_Gandalf/

Awesome news!

Sooooo happy.

Even more bad news

The Curse Of 'The Hobbit' Strikes Yet Again
Now add fire to the latest list of woes which have beset Peter Jackson's pre-production on those back-to-back The Hobbit films. Flames yesterday engulfed his New Zealand workshop set which would have been used for the Tolkien movies. It took 50 firefighters three hours to quell the blaze in Wellington. All that's left now is a burned-out warehouse at Jackson's Portsmouth Miniatures Studio which had been used in the past as a specialist miniatures shooting facility, one of the few in the world, to create special effects for his The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong. Meanwhile, there's still a standoff between New Zealand and Aussie actors unions, joined by SAG and AFTRA and others, and Jackson, New Line, Warner Bros, and MGM. (SAG & AFTRA Nix Non-Union 'The Hobbit' and Peter Jackson Slaps Kiwi/Oz Unions and 'Hobbit' Producers Defend Peter Jackson Against Actor Union Allegations)

This is after MGM went bust, and after director Guillermo Del Toro quit the project only to be replaced by Jackson, who was previously just producing and co-writing. Little wonder that overseas news media are blaming The Curse Of The Hobbit for all the bad breaks. Meanwhile, Hollywood insiders confirm to the Los Angeles Times that the films could start shooting by mid-January even with the new rash of setbacks. There's no doubt they'll be expensive: estimates are $43 million reportedly has been spent on the films already in just pre-production and that to finish both pics could bust a $500M budget. There's still more financing to secure, and more underlying rights to setle. But the hope is to have the first Hobbit released by the end of 2012 and the second pic a year later.
link: http://www.deadline.com/2010/10/the-curse-of-the-hobbit-pics-strikes-again/

As long as it comes out.

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/wrap-hobbit-greenlight.html

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2370961,00.asp

"'As a co-writer and director of this film (who works with the design teams, costume teams, creature teams, VFX teams every day of the week), let me be very clear one more time: we are not talking about 3D, we are NOT writing the screenplay for 3D right now,' wrote del Toro in a post to TheOneRing.net's message boards last year."

I hope it stays that way. You know they're both going to be long movies and I really don't want them to take a chance of ruining the picture quality or feel like wearing those damned glasses.

From the New York Times:

Peter Jackson’s Deal for ‘The Hobbit’ Is Finalized

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/peter-jacksons-deal-for-the-hobbit-is-finalized/?scp=1&sq=the%20hobbit&st=cse

jaydee74 wrote:From the New York Times:

Peter Jackson’s Deal for ‘The Hobbit’ Is Finalized

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/peter-jacksons-deal-for-the-hobbit-is-finalized/?scp=1&sq=the%20hobbit&st=cse

Huzzah!

YAY

FUCKING A.

LET THE CASTING RUMORS BEGIN!

Ian McKellan as Gandalf
Andy Serkis as Gollum
Hugo Weaving as Elrond

It'd be cool to get John Rhys-Davies as Gloin (Gimli's father), and if Ian Holm is too old to "de-age" like they did in the Fellowship prologue, someone on WUMB suggested Martin Freeman as a fantastic alternative.