Despite his public falling out with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, New Line chairman Robert Shaye still plans to release The Hobbit in 2009.
As we all now know, Jackson sued New Line regarding The Fellowship of the Ring payment inaccuracies. The King Kong director has refused to work with the company as long as the lawsuit and money is withstanding. Fanboys around the world have hoped that Shaye would somehow give-in, and allow Jackson to direct.
In an interview with The New York Times, Shaye revealed his plans to forge ahead on the JR Tolkien saga without Jackson:
But the ill will has held up plans to make “The Hobbit.” Without specifically saying he would not make the film with Mr. Jackson, Mr. Shaye made it plain that he had no interest in working with difficult filmmakers. “Some directors are impossible,” he said. “Are there a few people I wouldn’t work with? Yes, but I won’t name names.”
And he would not comment on reports in the news media that the “Spider-Man” director Sam Raimi had been asked to direct “The Hobbit.” He said, however, that although there was no workable script yet for the film, he intended to release it in 2009.
We wish the whole deal between New Line and Jackson could be worked out, but that’s never going to happen. We can only hope that a director of Sam Raimi’s size will step up to take on this upcoming challenge. Because, after all, The Hobbit film adaptation could turn into the disaster that Tolkien always feared it could be if it were left in the wrong hands.
June 9th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
“The Hobbit film adaptation could turn into the disaster that Tolkien always feared it could be if it were left in the wrong hands.
“THAT’S EXACTLY WHY PETER JACKSON HAS TO DIRECT “THE HOBBIT”
June 27th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
if jackson dont direct its not going to get the respect the film will deserve.
he’s already proved he knows middle earth he is the only person fit for the job
June 27th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
I agree.
July 1st, 2007 at 2:39 am
I will not go and watch the movie, if it is not directed by Peter Jackson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 1st, 2007 at 8:58 am
Exactly, everyone has seen the LOTR series and if they make the Hobbit
movie and it is totally differnent from the series, no one is going to want
to watch it! I wonder…..are they still going to get Ian McKellen to play the
part of Gandalf? He just is the part, I don’t know how they could get
someone else to play the role. Even when I read the books when I imagined
Gandalf, it looked like him.
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:42 am
There is a rumor that if Peter Jackson does the Hobbit movie that Orlando
will come back in it and maybe play Thranduil, Legolas’ father and king
of Mirkwood, or else he will come back as Legolas, but not as a big part so
as not to stray too far from the book. I think either idea is great! But he
will only do it if Peter Jackson directs it, so let’s hope he comes back!
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:49 am
Well the rumours say that Sam Raimi the fantastic director of Spiderman will do it.Well the Hobbit would’nt be good with Peter Jackson and Spiderman 4 would’nt be good without Sam Raimi.Keep Jackson for Hobbit and keep Raimi for SM4.
July 2nd, 2007 at 11:04 am
I don’t think that anyone else from the LOTR cast will do it without Peter
either, so I don’t think I would go to it with Sam Raimi as he director. It
just wouldn’t be the same.
July 2nd, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Sorry, I meant the instead of he.
July 8th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
I would like to see Peter Jackson direct, but his ego has grown out of control. A shame, but this happens more than one wishes. Don’t blame New Line, blame Peter Jackson for his greed (he is essentially trying to hold New Line hostage).
July 10th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Mr. Jackson, you need to open your eyes and realize that LOTR is
in the company of giants like the Godfather (minus part 3), the Star Wars
double trilogies, The Wizard of Oz, and Casablanca, etc. Fifty years from now, no,
twenty years from now, Mr. Jackson, how are you going to feel when you
reflect on your past decision? You are part of history, Mr. Jackson; only one
man has earned the right to direct the Hobbit, don’t forfeit this honor–least of
all for such a small thing as an ego. Indeed, someone else will replace you; and regardless of whether that person does a great job or a poor one, your decision
will remain in your conscience to nag you forever. Be like Aragon, stand up
and face the man you are meant to be: the true director of The Hobbit LTOR
Saga!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:21 am
I guarantee you if Peter Jackson were to direct this film, the final battle at the end of the book which occupies a few pages would be 1/3 of the movie! If this were to happen the book would loose all of its charm since this book is an entirely different animal than LOTR. I am one of the few who is glad Peter won’t be directing it, but do agree that they better pick someone who has a clue and understanding for Middle Earth.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
If New Line is fudging the books (why won’t they allow any scrutiny of their bookkeeping??), can you really blame Peter for demanding what is rightfully his? It’s not about ego, it’s about doing the right thing. Pretty “Tolkien-esque”, if you ask me. Peter Jackson is the best person for the job. He has already proved himself. Tolkien, himself, was hankering to re-write The Hobbit, and I’m sure that he would be pleased to see Peter give the story the mature portrayal it deserves. This isn’t the poetic license of a egotist at play…Peter would simply like to expand the story and bring it to a new level, in order to fit it into the rest of the saga. The Hobbit was written for children, true, but adaptations of children’s books have always been the norm. It was done for Cinderella, and look what the 3 Stooges did with Snow White. Peter isn’t about to disrespect Tolkien’s vision, and, according to what I’ve read, is more interested in enhancement, using Tolkien’s own writings. We can have a “cartoonish” Hobbit (which has already been done, many times), or we can have a more mature version that stays true to the premise of the story, lifting it to artistic and intelligent levels that adults will enjoy, much as the trilogy was enjoyed. We’ve seen what Peter can do. He should be allowed to finish his vision, which is obviously Tolkien’s vision. Just my humble opinion, of course.
July 21st, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Let’s just all agree that they should make a Hobbit movie, it should be
directed by Peter Jackson, and that it will have the same feel as the LOTR
trilogy or we the fans will have a meltdown!
July 22nd, 2007 at 3:32 pm
The World of cinema has not been the same this last three years without the anticipation of another Lord of the Rings masterpiece from Mr. Jackson….what all of the fans of his trilogy want is another film or two from him bringing The Hobbit to life….hopefully an expanded adult version incorporating relevant additional material like the storming of Dol Guldur….New Line please wise up - NO-ONE wants anyone else to write and direct this film except Peter Jackson & his Weta team!!
July 22nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Everyone keeps assuming Peter Jackson *MUST* do this movie or it will be bad. I would hope that anyone can see that’s faulty logic. The movie *might* be very good if Peter Jackson does it. But it doesn’t mean someone else could not do an equally good job.
My personal opinion is that I think the “Lord of the Rings” movies were, for the most part, well done. That said, much of that is due to the material that was at hand to be worked with and not Peter Jackson. He didn’t create the series or the characters. In fact, I would argue that some of the decisions he made regarding the plotting of the films (particularly regarding Saruman, Faramir, and the ending of Return of the King) were questionable decisions at best, even though I can see some of why those decisions may have been made.
The point is that Peter Jackson isn’t perfect. While he did a good job (my opinion) with the films, myself, like many other fans of the books, do recognize that he made some critical stumbles in how the books were adapted to film.
July 22nd, 2007 at 6:38 pm
I don’t think I would want to see the movie either is Jackson does not direct it.
July 25th, 2007 at 10:39 am
People, we just want Peter Jackson to direct so that the movie won’t be
totally and completely different from the Middle Earth we came to know and
love under Peter Jackson’s direction. Sure, somebody else could do a really
good job, but the point is it would be different! We don’t want different, even
though improvements could be made.
July 26th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Nicole I think you and a few others are missing a major point here - The Hobbit IS different to the LOTR.
Its a kids story for a start so is no where near as dark.
I would have liked it to be done by Jackson but maybe its a good thing it isn’t.
If he were loyal to the book, fans of his previous tolkien films would probably have slated him and if he made it like he did the LOTR trilogy, fans of the hobbit book would have slated him.
July 28th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
NEW LINE CINEMA BETTER GET THEIR BUTTS IN SHAPE AND PAY PETER WHAT THEY PROMISED TO HIM SO WE CAN GET THIS AMAZING BOOK PUT INTO THE BEST FILM TO HIT THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IF ANYONE ELSE EVEN TRIES TO DIRECT THIS MOVIE, IT WILL END UP IN MY CAMEL’S FOOD BOWL, AND THEN IT WILL DIGEST TO GREAT PROPORTIONS AND BE POOPED OUT NINE TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT WOULD NOT HURT NEW LINE (IM POSITIVE) TO PAY THEIR DUES
THEY’RE JUST BLOWING THE WHOLE DEAL OUT OF PROPORTION AND WASTING ALL OF THAT MONEY ON THE TRIAL AND COURT ROOM BILLS, AND THEY COULD JUST EASILY HAND HIM A LITTLE CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! …WHICH TO US….THATS LIKE A CRAP LOAD OF CASH!!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YO YO YO YO YO YO YOY OY OY OY YO GANGSTA BILBO BE UP IN MAH HIZZY FOR SHIZZY FOR ALL DA NITE LONG WIT DAT RING BE UP IN GOLLUM’S GRIIIIIILL YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA BLING BLING YA’LL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 29th, 2007 at 2:58 am
Jackson is not directing it so its time to forget about who to blame and just look forward to a great hobbit movie
July 29th, 2007 at 7:05 am
Apparantly you’re the one missing something Addy. There’s still a chance
that he will direct it, but that’s only if he and New Line settle their current
crisis. And yes, the Hobbit was made for kids, but so? That doesn’t mean
he can’t make it into a movie that both kids and adults (and everyone
inbetween) can love.
July 29th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Nicole, of course it doesn’t mean he can’t and given the chance i’d put money on it that he would. My point though is that The Hobbit is a completely different style of book compared to the LOTR trilogy so it won’t hurt if someone else does it as it should be different anyway.
If for instance it was the return of the king about to be filmed and Jackson, having made the fellowship and the 2 towers was sacked/resigned then yes i could understand the upproar it would cause.
Last I heard Sam Raimi had signed up to direct the hobbit.
July 31st, 2007 at 4:41 am
I wish Jackson would stop bitching and just make the movie…
July 31st, 2007 at 2:31 pm
I don’t know why people are complaining that Jackson is being greedy/bitching. He is claiming what is rightfully his and his company. I don’t think there would be one person that would just not care if their paycheck was less then what they worked for. I know I’d be talkin to someone about that.
July 31st, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Hey everyone…
If Pete does not sit in the director’s chair.
Lets boycott the movie
And anything else with Newline and Shaye in the future.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:01 am
I second that motion!
August 1st, 2007 at 8:36 am
I don’t care who directs it, as long as they stay true to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Jackson’s adaptions of tLotr except for RotK but that’s besides the point. Get some screen writers who know how to adapt books into movies properly and I will go see it.
Look at the Harry Potter series, there have been how many directors for those movies? It wouldn’t hurt to have a different perspective on a book that stands alone.
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:05 am
I am so glad the movie is coming out. I have been waiting so long.
Yeah
August 9th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I simply have a bad feeling about the idea Sam Raimi is doing “the hobbit”. Take a look at the man, he’s a “suit”man; Picture him in New Sealand. It’s a no go. I won’t support the movie if SR is making it.
He did a fairly good job on Spider-man BUT THAT WAS A COMIC ADEPTION! nope, I don’t beliefe he can make “the hobbit” worthy for the saga.
August 9th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
i dont really care who directs it as long as its good….thats all that matters really isnt it?
August 10th, 2007 at 8:47 am
Look, all we PJ LotR fans are looking for is continuity. PJ gave
us a masterpiece (true we could all argue to the end of time
about what he left out what he added) trilogy and we want
the pre-quel to have the same look and feel as LotR. Yes,
The Hobbit and LotR are two different books but also DO
share some characters and places that are pivitol to the
combined stories. PJ assembled a mass of talent who combined
to make the LotR movies. The Hobbit by another director
is not going to make a movie that stands seamlessly next
to the LotR movies. PJ has the ability and team to do so.
It really is that simple.
August 11th, 2007 at 12:49 am
Peter Jackson is not the end-all be-all authority on Middle Earth. There are other directors who can do justice to “The Hobbit”. The Harry Potter series has had multiply directors and people still flock to those movies. When it comes down to it, people don’t care who directed it, just as long as the movie is good. That’s all that I care about.
August 11th, 2007 at 4:19 am
Carlos: right on! I agree. I’m tired of this “hero worship” of Peter Jackson. I liked the movie adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings” but the assumption seems to be that ONLY Peter Jackson could have pulled it off. Obviously there’s no way to know what another director would have done, so arguing from that standpoint is largely a waste of time.
What matters to me is how well the movie is done. A large part of that comes from the material (in this case, the book) and the actors who play the parts. A smaller part of that material comes in the form of the effects (which are now mainly CGI, thus computers doing the work). I’m not saying the director has no ability to shape the final film since, of course, they very much do. But I’m not sure why people presume only one person is capable of doing this.
There is a potentially valid argument that since Peter Jackson already worked on the other films, his vision of how to tell the stories could be changed by another director. That’s possible. Does that mean such a change would automatically be bad? Obviously not. What would matter is the extent to which it seemed the films “flowed” into each other. What I think would be intreresting (although it would never happen) is they should keep the director a secret. Then show the film. Then see what people thought.
It would be interesting if a bunch of the fans hated it — and it turned out it was directed by Peter Jackson! Or, alternatively, a bunch of the fans loved it — and it was directed by someone else!
August 14th, 2007 at 5:35 am
First of all i’d like to say, why do you even mention Harry Potter in te same context of LOTR, they don’t compare, yes it would be different if they had one director do all seven books and then have another book turned into film by some one else of a COMPLETE different genre. With Harry Potter, the director chose to drop out of the directors chair and give someone else a chance. Where as with Lotr Peter Jackson is being forced out of the directorrs chair by some people who think that he’s injust in wanting the money that is due to him!!! I don’t know about anyone else but i sure don’t want to see Bilbo flying through the trees with a crazy costume on like spiderman!!!Now if they were to get someone that is known for making fantasy yes i’m sure i’d be a bit more open to having domeone else in the directors chair.
I believe that Peter jackson is the man for the job because he is the creator of the Middle earth everyone has come to know and love.. Why waste asll the time and money that has never done anything and that is unpromising to the book nd storyline instead of just saying yes to PJ and jumping straight into Preproduction. it is obviously a matter of time and money here. Peter Jackson will save the franchise money, as has been said in other articles, NewLine is in a slump right now with a bunch of lowend guality features coming out. just think LOTR made NEwLine all the better company, now that LOTR is over, NewLine is going down Hill, if they get PJ on they’ll be the next best Production company just for having PJ on the movie.
For all of you people who like to complain about ” Well he toook this out and put this in and the battle sequence this and the whatever that….” come on REALITY CHECK!!! just look at the money it brought in, he must have done something properly. guys, thee’s only so much you an put into a movie or take out of a movie until it falls apart. i’d like to say any of you people who complain about what is and what isn’t go out there and make a movie that is nearly half as amazing as PJ has. When you can prove that, you can maybe start to wine.
Another option would be to have Peter Jackson and someone else (Sam Raimi) Co-Direct that is a possibility. That way we’d have PJ on the directors cahir and someone else for new input, but i want you to remember that the Hobbit is the Prequel so if the funk up the Hobbit, All those people who have all ready come to love the rest of the trilogy will be pushed further away from the 3 movies that were made previously.
Yes i know i am being Harsh but you need to think of the logic in having peter jackson directing this franchise, if he were to just be put down to produce The Hobbit and it were horribly disastrous, then not only would everyone be pissed of that they killed the franchise, but his career would be over before you could count to three.
Cheers
August 20th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
this is stupid. Peter Jackson is a man. men are fallible. i was mad at lotr because they left out my favorite parts- like tom bombadil, and changed things around. it made money, whatever, i don’t care –its not really that important. i liked the movies– they were good.
my favorite thing about the hobbit is that it WAS written for children. the structure of the book is that of a chapter a night for bedtime stories. But it is a very serious book as well. both adults and children already appreciate it, so there would be no reason to take away from the structure of the story. I get bored with the battles in the LOTR movies. The hobbit only has one big battle– which is a very well written battle, yet it should not take up as much of the movie as it likely will. I don’t really care about the director– the screenplay and whether or not they cut a lot of things out (and focus too much on the violence), is more of my concern. I think that, with everyone having already seen lord of the rings, that the director- if it is not peter jackson himself- will be able to structure the characters around those in the other movies– like the characteristics of dwarves. i mean, nobody would dare change things like that, they are already established. so all this fear about ‘anyone but peter jackson will screw things up’ is complete BS. He was vital in creating our notion of the cinematic middle earth, but now that that’s done, and his interpretations of the different races and characteristics is basically set in stone, he isn’t really that vital to the making of the hobbit. sure, it’s a shame that everyone is being a stubborn bastard, but who the hell cares? at this point, taking peter jackson’s influence from the trilogy in directing is probably as effective if not more effective (new perspectives on established norms) than having jackson do it himself.
Just quit wasting time talking about how you won’t go see it if jackson doesn’t direct it. you know you will anyway, if you truly appreciate tolkien’s works. And keep in mind people that it’s just a movie. It’s not life or death, it’s entertainment.
August 21st, 2007 at 4:16 am
“And keep in mind people that it’s just a movie. It’s not life or death, it’s entertainment.”
william shakesphere would beg to differ…
August 23rd, 2007 at 10:38 pm
1. it’s not life or death. except for the movie series. I’ll live if they never make it.
2. there’s lots of stuff that will need to tie into the LOTR trilogy. they’ll need bilbo + make up, ian mckellon or whatever his name is… they’ll need Agent Smith if any of Elrond is to appear dude… (granted, i have yet to read the hobbit since no movie has been annced.)
3. if they blow this on the hobbit, it will be as if George Lucas were to botch up the star wars series by botchin up the prequel trilogy… oh. wait. he did. never mind.
4. if anyone really WANTS the hobbit to suck, put George Lucas in charge. There’s nothing like shooting the goose that was laying the golden eggs.
5. in my opinion, LOTR made it possible to totally forget star wars (partially because of the prequel). PJackson really made a great team. lots o blood sweat & tears to make it as excellent as it was.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Ian McKellan has already stated that he will not be invlved in a movie of ‘The Hobbit’ if Peter Jackson is not involved, however I do think a lot of you are nissing the point, the reason the Lord of the Rings movies were so good is because the source material, the books, were so good, lets give Tolkien a little credit here for goodness sake, as long as whoever is behind the camera sticks to the plot it should be ok
August 24th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Dear Sirs,
My name is San Harper, and mistakenly I bought the Return Of The King box st thinking it would include the original “The Hobbit” movie too. But alas, it didn’t. So each time I have tried to watch this box set, I always think………Wait!…..This story began with the Hobbit!
Sirs I thought I had seen the original Hobbit movie first, then all the rest of the other movies, so am continuing wonering where is The Hobbit?
The reason this Hobbit movie is so important to me is because for so many years the Hobbit book was my son’s favoite book, and he had even found a small original edition of this book, and was so thrilled when he found it, that when he died at the age of 30 yrs old from Diabetes…….I burried that original copy of The Hobbit with him.
I read the Hobbit myself later on, so maybe that is the reason I keep thinking they had made that movie first. Am I wrong? Or did they make that movie first, then all the rest of them following?
Please clear up my mind letting me know if I keep searching for the first movie “The Hobbit’ in vain when it doesn’t even exist yet? Ha.
San Harper
San@prodigy.net
August 24th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
In addition to my question above……..please keep in mind that I am now partially blind, so my typing skills such big time! Ha. Seriously…..I really would like to know where I could find the first movie of the Lord Of The Rings beginning. I know I saw it. I can even see it right now in my mind as I type. I know I couldn’t have imagined it all! I think anyway. I know getting old turns your brain to mush……..but by damned I know I can see him receiving the ring which began his journey! So what was the name of that first movie please? :)
San Harper
August 24th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
paul i totally agree, that’s kind of what i was getting at. it’s the source material that really counts, as tolkien gives detailed accounts and a lot of insight into his characters.
peter jackson did a good job, but by no means is he a god, and who is to say that someone else might not have done better? we’ll never know will we? and anyway, if they are true to the story and have good actors, then the movie will be good regardless of who directs it… if they ever even get on with it. of course, it wouldn’t be the same if ian mckellan doesn’t play gandalf, but, again, it’s a different production. it wasn’t shot along with the lord of the rings movies, it’s entirely separate.
August 24th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
source material:
i reference Star Wars Episodes 1 – 3. Lots of great source materail. PHENOMINAL actors when given the latitude to act (Ewan McGreggor, Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Christopher Lee, etc.) but they all sucked! ok, granted… if you walked in with your brain turned off and didn’t think about the original trilogy, they were OK action/sci-fi movies… but the story was a watered down catastrophe!
You CAN have great source material and still make a movie that sucks. And the person to do that is the same guy that made the Spiderman movies. I’m sorry. Dude. those things friggen suck. If you’re a comic-con geek, you’ll watch them. I’m sorry. Spiderman and J.R.R. Tolkien are just not equivalent reads. one is en par with high literature… the other is cartoonish and melodromatic. LOTR & The Hobbit are filled with areas of quiet & openness. There are no spandex suits in LOTR.
no, i fear that an absense of PJ will result in a really polished, special effects driven movie that you’ll see once in theatres, rent once and never watch again… as it stands now, i watch LOTR extended at least once every 3 months (it takes about that long to watch it. LOL!)
NEXT thing you know, they’ll want to cast Will Smith in the Hobbit and say Isaac Asimov wrote it. they could call it: I, Hobbit.
OK the truth is… if they make the Hobbit, I’ll go see it. But if someone other than PJ does it, i will be HIGHLY critical. If Peter Jackson DOESN’T do The Hobbit, that would be like Star Wars Episodes 1 – 3 being done by Michael Bay… of course… would that have been a bad thing?
August 25th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Well I hope peter does it but if he does not I hope they get someone who will read the book 5-6 times BEFORE they make the movie. The Hobbit is dramatic and interesting. It has scary sceans and funny sceans. I hope the director can capture the essence of the hobbit in 2.5 - 3 hours. Great book it could be breathtaking.
August 27th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
my god would you stop comparing it to star wars? or friggin spiderman? spiderman is a comic book. woop-de-damn-doo if it wasn’t very good. it’s a movie production of a comic book. how good could they possibly make it? and star wars— of course no one liked the new ones, but that was only because of the huge following of the original ones in the late 70s and 80s. i liked both sets of trilogies for different reasons. its the people that can’t separate the two that have issues with the new ones—my boyfriend for example. but that is completely beside the point. we’re talking about the hobbit. a classic book that the movie is going to be based off of. star wars is not based off books, therefore the source material is nowhere near as rich as the hobbit would be. it’s not even comparable. and if star wars IS based off books, and i’m wrong, then nowhere near as many people have read them as have read the hobbit.
BUT on the other hand, maybe it would be better if they never made a hobbit movie, like they should never make movies of really good books, since people will just watch the movies and then never read the books, and their kids will never read the books but see the movie, and then they will never imagine the things in the books happening, but will have everything shown to them through the movies. It would be another step in stifling the imagination of the next generation. the hobbit is my favorite book, and probably always will be, so i worry about these kinds of things. instead of parents reading the hobbit to their children, they’ll just put it on the tv to get the kids out of the way. it’s sad.
August 27th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
kelsey,
you’re right, there’s more people who’ve read LOTR/Hobbit than SW or Spidey.
but have you been payig attention to anything that has been said?
1. why compare LOTR / potential hobbit film to SW or Spidey? simple. (A) LOTR trilogy was an epic of grandiose proportions en par with Star Wars. SW (Ep 1 – 3) was based on books. Thus, there’s roughly an equivalent amount of “reference material” for the story. Granted, there’s more historical reference for costumes in LOTR… so i guess some leeway must be afforded George for having to make up EVERYTHING from imagination. SW & LOTR/Hobbit all have multiple societies & cultures that all come together in a time of great peril. All have a cast of characters with potential biographies of material to build. Anyone who does NOT see the correlation of the making of the Star Wars trilogies & the making of the Hobbit post LOTR is on crack. It’s a VERY valid reference. Many here have noted that the characters we’ve begun to associate w/ LOTR characters are now embedded. That continuity is what makes the LOTR & the Hobbit the same family. If Ian McKellen doesn’t play Gandalf, i’ll still see it. but Gandalf is SUPPOSED to look like Ian McKellen now. he can’t NOT look like Ian McKellen. Otherwise the character has no validity in many viewers eyes. Instead, someone else will simply be playing the part of Ian McKellen as Gandalf… That’s a tough bridge to make the vieweres cross. Especially the die hard fans. (I’ll address the fans & books in a second…)
(B) The relationshio of LOTR/Hobbit & Spiderman… this has nothing to do with the being trilogies… Instead, it is rumored that the Spiderman director is the next in line to direct the Hobbit if PJ doesn’t return to the director’s chair. This is a travesty. A trajedy, even. PJ worked YEARS on the LOTR trilogy. YEARS. Spiderman movies are generally 18 months (NOTE: MONTHS) in the making. I compare it to the contractor who was doing work on our tile floors: he will only do his PASSION work slowly, meticulously & purposely… he’ll pour his heart & skill in it. The Spidey movies were simply cash machines. there was little comparison in the heart behind the films vs the LOTR series. There was grave attention to detail in creating everything in the LOTR as their should be with the Hobbit… No short cuts will be acceptable to those of us who are uber-fans… why? because we all READ THE BOOKS!
Fans who Read:
the reason we’re yammering on about the LOTR/Hobbit so much is that we are all fans of the movie, but we’re not the illiterate fans… we actually READ the books. We’re as familiar with the grass in the land of Rohan as we are with our own back yards. The details that PJ put in were as vivid as our imagination. Sure, he left out Tom Bombadil… sure there were areas that were changed for the sake of getting the story on film. but the detail… the richness were very Tolkien-esque. The lack of such detail would be almost ensured by those who do comic book movies.
So why do we reference SW & Spiderman? simply because there IS a viable comparison! There IS reason to be concerned that the Hobbit will be directed by a two-bit special-effects film maker. There’s VERY viable concern that Gandalf won’t be the real Gandalf… It’s as alarming for movie goers as if Harrison Ford decided to not play Indiana Jones in the next Indiana Jones.
Now i’m glad that no one has compared LOTR/Hobbit to Harry Potter. These are Barnes & Nobles push offs… blech! HP is what i like to term as Liturature-Lite. Spare me the “block-buster.”
The real fear of the Hobbit: Is new line simply looking for the next blockbuster? Are they doing it JUST for the money? or are they honestly wanting to pour a love for the art into the film? New Line! I challenge you to REALLY, truthfully… sincerely answer that question. Not with a PR news letter… but just in your conscience. The real fans will judge you here.
New Line: Do the right thing. Get Peter back… you’ll make far more $ just by having him in the saddle…
August 28th, 2007 at 10:33 am
I dont care who directs it , but it would be good to have the cast members back that are in the hobbit like gandalf , bilbo , gollum and elrond , I’m not saying I wouldn’t rather have peter jackson back because i would , but alot of directors have seen these movies and im sure could get the feel and atmosphere down enough to make the hobbit movie great . peter jackson got too cocky so whose to say he could make the hobbit as great as lord of the rings?
August 30th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Hmm, 37m I am, fyi
I grew up with the original hobbit animation. I loved it. people today hunger for middle earth but I believe moreso to escape today. forget who (pj) or how (newline). Understand that Tolkien felt something huge that will without effort be great. The original Hobbit had shitty animation for the time and still is a great story. a great place. PIXAR could do it with great animation and not change the story at all TRUST THIS!! However it is my fear that it will be short 3 hours and I will WANT MORE!!!! I already do damnit!!! its not even here yet. One of us had damn well get to writting the next bad ass story cause I need mORE!! gimme gimme GIMME.
MY PRECIOUS!¿?
*sigh*
September 6th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
I absolutely want Peter Jackson direct this movie
I ABSOLUTELY will like it even this is not like LOTR
but i read the book and i think that is fantastic!!
an when i read it i imagine character like Gandalf and Bilbo
like the movie so I will like to see the same actors
because no one could do Gandalf except Ian Mckellen
I want to see more about Middle Earth
I also will like a movie of the silmarillion!
but first i want to see THE HOBBIT!
September 6th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I personly feel that jakson should do the hobbit. its true he knows the lord of the rings well which can be seen in lotr. I do think that gandalf & bilbo should be played by the same actors but bloom should not play another person in the hobbit but a small role as legoles would be fine.
September 8th, 2007 at 12:06 am
the spiderman movies are the worst thing to be shit out of a director ass
since double dragon…..the mere thought of Sam Raimi shatting out “his version” of The hobbit makes me sick…i will not allow these fuc**** clown shoe
movie producers to tell me who is best suited to direct a movie from a story i hold so deep to my heart…. Fu*K Robert Shaye and his greedy ass
all we can wish for is that he dies in a fiery car crash while his wife and child
are forced to look on….burn bitch …..burn
September 8th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
I looks like a download to me if they’re gonna slap it together with whatever ingredients they can find, in hopes they can delve into our pockets with minimal effort on their part. Spider man movies sucked a$s so much i had the pink sock after i was done watching. pure teni boppi crap. anyone ever pick up a comic book? look at batman begins, by far the best comic book adaptation. LOTR best book adaptation. newline, what scum. Jackson makes a movie that pulls their arse out of the fire, and then re neg on their contract! thats like giving a beggar 10 grand then having him mug you for $50. cheap penny arsed corporate douche-bags ruining all things creative, and inspired with their greed poisoned ethos.
September 10th, 2007 at 1:31 am
The time is long overdue for a “live action” “THE HOBBIT” film. Years ago, say in 1977, Rankin-Bass put together an animated version of the film that sad to say, was extremely sub-par even for that era, though the tunes were good, as they were done mostly by Glen Yarbrough of the folk group The Limelighters.
That being said, It would be a shame if Ian McKellen , Ian Holm, Hugo Weaving and others couldn’t reprise their roles as was in the Lord Of The Rings films that Peter Jackson directed, due to the fact that most people who saw the films are ACCUSTOMED to the actors who portrayed those characters, and character is a cornerstone of any good continuity-type movie.
I actually heard an interview with Ian McKellen who stated that Peter Jackson himself told Ian that he should be the one to play Gandalf, even if he weren’t the director and that there would be no hard feelings in this matter despite Ian’s loyalty to Peter.
If a director could be found who knows “The Hobbit” book well and can adapt it to screen without being cheesy, corny or overly flamboyant about the project, then I say HEAR! HEAR! Let the best director win!
September 10th, 2007 at 3:51 am
Having a new director will always change the feel of the Movie. Harry Potty movies had a change of directors and look what happened to the Landscape, one minutes Hagrids hut is in a flat small area near to thumping willow effort, next movie its sitting half way down the hill in the highlands of Scotland yipee.
At the end of the day, continuity is what we really want, same actors for Bilbo, Gandalf and Elrond and same Bag-end?, same excellent art directors? same team and to achieve this the same Director who is a fan himself. I would rather wait another few years than watch a half ass Bruce Campbell B-Movie version of the Hobbit( though it would probably be hillirious). What about Andy Serkis as Gollum, I don’t think that anyone could fit into his shoes here.
We should also realise that the Hobbit, being written for children (and I still think its one of the best childrens books I ever read) has different description for the appearances of the Dwarves. ie. pointy hoods, and the way they get into trouble so easily with little fuss, it is far cry from the LOTR Gimili with his swinging axe. The Elves aren’t these hard core serious elves from LOTR either, they are like pixies in the forest who dance and sing and dissappear and get smashed on wine! this movies gonna be great.
Good Luck to who ever the director is gonna be, it either does extremely well, or it crashes and burns, but my votes with PJ cos he started it, he should end it.
September 12th, 2007 at 9:01 am
If Jackson is ultimately not the director, whoever directs will feel enormous pressure to direct it as if Jackson had. If it does not have the same look and feel as the past movies, then it will be rejected, I think, despite the differences in tone between TH and LOTR.
September 13th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
I say we BOYCOTT the movie if Jackson doesn’t do it, otherwise it’s gonna suck because he’s the only capcable of directing it properly
September 14th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Look, while I may be echoing various previous posts i still feel it is necessary to say that as much as I want pj to direct the hobbit, it is almost as much due to the cast and writers he can bring back in order to indeed have continuity and the detail we have come to know and love.Yes, I know perfectly well that the Hobbit is a children’s book, but Jackson is fully capable of creating a hybrid between the two styles tolkien mastered. As man y of you have i have read just about every book pertaining to middle-earth and the thing is … SO HAS PJ. There is still a possiblity of having another movie with several ongoing minor tories such as aragorn and arwen etc. and i cannot imagine it without the direction of PJ and the characters we’ve come to love. I completely agree that another could make a good movie but WHY, WHY when PJ can bring back the Ian Mckellan, Bloom, Tyler, Weaving, Holme, Mortenson, Serkis , and the amazing screenplay weta possesses id be willing to bet all i have that the movie would make more money than the disputed amount if we all simpl knew PJ was directing it…What ive found the more times i watch lotr the more i enjot=y it for what an amzing adaptation it is for even a skeptic liek me..we can all bicker about changes made to our favoite parts in things liek harry potter and lotr but when it comes down to it and you look back, you can’t imagine 99% of it with anyone else as the characters or anyhting else much different.
September 15th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Although Peter Jackson and his crew did a good job of LOTR, despite character misplacing for the sake of the actors, leaving out the demise of Saruman and Grima and so on, The Hobbit would be a totally different film.
The two books are absolutely dissimilar, being told in differing styles. The Hobbit initially has a childlike naivety about it. Carefree and humorous until the Battle of Five Armies, whereas LOTR is much darker and brooding, dealing much more with a sense of impending doom.
I know Peter Jackson would do a good job, but could a different style of directing instead bring out the best of The Hobbit?
A fresh perspective on a simpler story.
September 17th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
If Peter Jackson does not direct this film, I fear that it will fall seriously short of where it should be. (Atop the film world as the greatest film ever.) I honestly don’t think that I would waste my time to go watch it if he is not the director. He did such an outstanding job with the LOTR book, and for him to not be doing “The Hobbit” would be a travesty!
September 20th, 2007 at 10:07 am
I think that if Peter Jackson didn’t do this film it would be a disaster. He has proven that he knows middle earth and why would you let a guy who freaking directs Spider-Man which is not even close to what the whole series is about. The reason the LOTR movies were so good is that Peter Jackson did a heck of a job doing them and he stuck to the story very well. Leave it to some big Hollywood director like the guy who did Spider-Man and then there will be explosions and all kinds of hollywood in the movie and he will ruin it. Mr. Jackson is a genius and he is in the ranks of George Lucas. He NEEDS TO DIRECT THIS FILM OR THEY NEED TO NOT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 20th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Maybe Jackson should do the next Spiderman?
September 20th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
ok. so, the spiderman dude does the hobbit….
1. Tobey Maguire will be bilbo.
2. Elrond: Willem Defoe
3. the Elf King: i’m thinking that we should make this who ever the current up-and-coming “good looking boy actor” is… Shia la booooof? y’know, the guy who doesn’t have enough good movies under his belt, but he’s working on it.
since the guy who did spiderman can’t read and all his books need illustrations on EVERY PAGE… we’ll have him write in a part for Elijah Wood & Cate Blanchett which they will refuse…. thus he’ll get someone that kinda looks like them… The new part will be a remake of Titanic where Frodo & Lady Galadriel fall in love and have half hobbit half elf kids… Elfits… There will be an explosion and totally unnatural special effects… like diving and being barely missed by a bolder of the rock people.
As the story progresses, we’ll see the dragon is really a plastic squeek toy that has been animated by the computer art department of Sesame street. Finally, George lucas will write in a dialogue that sounds like a third grader reading the back of a cereal box to his mom.
If that’s not enough, they’ll do all they can to stretch it into a trilogy because they want to string suckiness along as far as possible.
The hobbit COULD be done in 1 movie… but it would be a 3 – 4 hr movie. it will need a special edition to come out only on DVD… and it should have a re-release of LOTR + The Hobbit with previously unreleased material from ALL of the set.
i’d buy it. but if it’s Spidey meets middle earth… i’d rather sniff yesterday’s socks.
September 20th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Okay. so. i didn’t even think that the lotr movies were all that great, as compared to the books. they seriously fell short of the books. they were great movies, but they strayed too far from the story, in my eyes. If jackson had cut the battle scenes a little shorter, and included tom bombadil, and everything else that they left out, it would have been just that much better. Jackson has a flair for the dramatic, as everyone can see. That’s why the battle scenes were so long and drawn out, that’s why he cut out the “unimportant” parts and that’s why the battle scenes were so long. I don’t care who does the hobbit just so long as they don’t make it like LOTR– so they make it the hobbit actually, and that they include all the subtle nuances of the story.
September 21st, 2007 at 6:12 am
I dont care if we have jackson or not, all we need is the cast members back that are in the hobbit like gandalf , bilbo , gollum and elrond!
Let the hobbit be the best!and don t need to be quik!i can wait!
September 21st, 2007 at 11:07 am
I stand with those who look forward to the release of The Hobbit (whenever that happens) with or without Peter Jackson. Yes, it is a shame that Jackson and New Line can’t come to an agreement, but Mr. Jackson is not the only talented storyteller available. Sam Raimi might do a very fine job. My personal preference would be George Lucas, a man who has demonstrated ability with a complex storyline involving multiple characters with distinctly different personalities.
On another front…
I disagree with the notion that the inclusion of Bombadil would have added something to “Fellowship”. In the book, the entire episode with the evil tree and subsequent rescue by Bombadil and dinner with Goldberry seemed to be unrelated to anything else in the storyline, almost as if Tolkein had taken a separate short story and plugged it in for a diversion. Did it serve to develop the relationships between the four Hobbits? Hardly, they were already well acquainted with one another (and we with them). Did it divulge some bit of character that we had not previously seen? Not that I remember.
The same could be said for the incident on the barrow-downs.
Similarly, likeable character though he might be, Tom Bombadil’s presence in the film would have been merely a side trip to no particular purpose. Part of the art of good storytelling is to keep the tale ‘tight’ in an effort to retain the listener’s attention (as in, ‘the essence of humor is brevity’); this sometimes means excluding even the most well-written and engaging charcters and events.
Amen.
September 21st, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Well im not really interested in “The Hobo-it” but the next High School Musical title! cant wait for it to come out, just imagine the cool stuff they do like dance and confess stuff like “im actually a fat loser” cause that movie sucks anyhow.
September 21st, 2007 at 9:55 pm
But, you forget, that the barrow-downs is actually where the hobbits recieve their weapons that they retain for the rest of the story. it wouldn’t have taken more than a few minutes in the movie to portray that, yet they decided not to for some reason unbeknowst to me. It bothered me in the movie that they changed that, since jackson decided to completely gloss over and deviate so much from the original story. I could go on and give even more examples of how things were changed. Those movies could have done with a little more of the lightheartedness the books provide, that they decided to omit in the screenplay. and that is why i don’t think jackson would be very good to direct the hobbit. the hobbit is dramatic, surely, but it is also lighthearted at times, and since there is only one real battle sequence at the very end jackson might have a problem with it. I, for one, don’t really want to spend half an hour of the movie watching bilbo fighting giant spiders, as I fear would happen if jackson were to direct the hobbit. or another 20 minutes of the dwarves and bilbo up the trees with the wargs and the fire. These are not the biggest parts of the story. but they would be, in the movie. “ehem”
September 23rd, 2007 at 2:05 pm
I think it would be great if Peter Jackson directed The Hobbit, but the deciding factor for me as far as whether I go to see the finished production or not will be if they keep the same actors as they used in Lord of the Rings for Bilbo, Gollum and Gandalf. Without them, the movie would just lose a special something…
September 24th, 2007 at 12:53 am
I know others have said this but what fans are looking for is continuity. Of course someone else can direct the movie, but we fear several things:
1) Continuity of actors to tie the movies together. Ian Mckellen has Gandalf, Ian Holm as Bilbo, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, and Andy Serkis as Gollum provide instant credibility. These aren’t minor roles here.
2) The visual landscape needs to be the same. Rivendell, Bree, Bag End. These are all sets that Jackson created from Tolkien’s description. Wasn’t the landscape for Bag End cultivated for a YEAR just to add realism? Who else is going to do that?
3) One word… WETA. The costume design, set design, bigatures, and digital animation was created by WETA under the direction of Peter Jackson. The modeling and textures and some of the animation programs were CUSTOM done by WETA. Would another director have access to all of the “tools” that would continue the look and feel of the story? Can they get the same sets? Can they use the same locations in New Zealand? This doesn’t seem that important to some people but it is a BIG BIG deal.
It doesn’t matter that the target of the Hobbit is different than LOTR, it only matters that the look and feel are the same. People want to feel like they are continuing the story (even though it is a prequel). They want to be immersed into the “world” that Peter Jackson created. It is PJ’s visual interpretation of Tolkien’s work that we care about. Not necessarily how he literally directed the scenes. If all of the primary actors returned, and the same art directors, set and custom designers, and digital engineers were used, and the some of the same locations could be used….. then it doesn’t really matter TOO much who actually sits in the chair and says “action”. As long as the person has a passion for the movie, and really CARE not just about the story but the “world” of Middle Earth, I think fans would be happy.
The problem is that there are a lot of “IFs” that need to happen if Peter Jackson is not the director. And THAT is why people are so adamant about PJ directing the movie. We honestly feel that many of the actors, sets, costumes, digital library, and other resources from the LOTR would not be available to a different director.
Peter Jackson is defending his rights. New Line is being stubborn and will end up losing. But in the process, their spite will end up costing them orders of magnitude more money than they owe Jackson. He can make the movie cheaper, he has a fan follow of his own and gives the movie credibility, and he stay true to the world he created. Sure, it will make $400-$500 million worldwide anyway. But it could push $1 billion if done by Peter Jackson.
But with New Line’s production rights expiring, they will push this movie into production even if they have to pull some guy off the street to direct it. They aren’t going to throw away a winning lottery ticket.
September 24th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Well said, ‘Yetanotherexpert’. Think you summed things up nicely!
Don’t think Ian Holm, who’s 75 now, will return as Bilbo though whoever directs, fantastic actor though he is, as Bilbo will have to be played by a younger actor. Same probably applies for Christopher Lee who is now well into his 80’s.
The film rights for The Hobbit revert to Saul Zaentz soon so New Line will either settle their differences with PJ, push into production with another director or PJ will make it with another studio in collaboration with Saul Zaentz. The latter will be a likely bet whatever New Line decide.
September 24th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
hi yetanotherexpert.
i don’t think ANYONE could have said it better. For those of us who are fans of the movie versions of the books… that is EXACTLY what we want. Now, i think we could get ian holm in the movie again. remember, bilbo was about 50 when he set off on the journey. he didn’t “age much” due to the ring… I think we could shave some years off his appearance to get him looking like he did in the first LOTR.
Now there ARE die-hard book only fans that nothing will satisfy them until THEIR imagination is projected on the screen. So, i have a solution for that.
shove it.
yup. that’s right. some of you nit-pick at the least story driven parts of the books and pound your little fists that Tom Bombadil wasn’t included in the movie.
we know you care about having EVERY twig in place… but he wasn’t a major character in the full body of the story. he had a handful of pages… that’s it. i could understand if they left out Frodo… but Tom?
The point is, PJ did NOT shove Tom Bombadil out of the story… it’s not like PJ said, “We’re going to make sure people think that part is NOT part of the story… and we’re going to revoke its viability in LOTR.” NO. It was simply excluded… in reality, i think that PJ and his crew should grab those actors again and reshoot those parts and add them in with the Hobbit + LOTR box set (pending pj directs The hobbit).
well, let’s keep the debate going… maybe. JUST POSSIBLY. New Line will read what we’re saying and make the right decision.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
wow and i thought hate speech wasn’t allowed. grow up.
September 24th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
kelsey,
i’m sure if we were to explore your thoughts, your interpretation of free speech means you get to say what you want while everyone else listens.
it’s a basic trade off:
you want tom bombadil… i say shove it
I say we should all hope that the Spiderman director doesn’t get a hold of the Hobbit… and you said:
“my god would you stop comparing it to star wars? or friggin spiderman? spiderman is a comic book. woop-de-damn-doo if it wasn’t very good. it’s a movie production of a comic book. how good could they possibly make it?”
I think our opinions are successfully opposed.
We both agree that the movies and books will never fully compare. There’s no way… Nor will a CD compare to a live concert. Have you ever gone to a concert where the artist left off your favorite song from the ablum? well that’s what happened in LOTR.
As you see, I’m not saying that Tom Bombadil isn’t part of the LOTR story… nor is PJ. it’s simply not included in the movie…
i think my next solution would be a great compromise as well as an amazing revenue addition for the New Line Cinemas: Do like George Lucas and add it in at a later time for a new release of the movie.
I think there are other items that would be welcomed additions as well. But i think you picked the largest patch of missing ground. We simply have to understand that there’s just no way to make the LOTR movies turn page-for-page like the book. you don’t have the time to watch and it would be frightfully boring… i mean really… hours of simply walking? it’s great in one’s mind…. but the literal hours of film filled with silence?
so, your little statement about “hate speech” simply confirms you have very thin skin at accepting criticism… however, I don’t think i got all flustered when i was asked to stop talking about Star Wars and Spidey?
I guess there are enough of us here that want to see the Hobbit under PJ’s direction… it’s fine that you have your opinion. It is even wonderful that you appreciate the books so well. but these aren’t the books… these are the closest adaptations that film will likely see. Your criticism simply comes from one who has no clue what it takes to actually pull a story from text and make it work in images. So your opinion, though yours, likely has little validity.
But now i ask, are we only allowed to state opinions that agree with yours?
September 25th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
I have just been reading your comments and debates on the hobbit.
I dont really care who directs the film, you people should really get out more often……..!!!!!
WIERDOS.
September 25th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
I have just been reading your comments and debates on the hobbit.
I dont really care who directs the film, you people should really get out more often……..!!!!
September 25th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
you people should really get out more.
WIERDOS!
September 25th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
poo… paddy…
you probably have a point there.
wait til we start debating star trek!!!
LOL.
September 26th, 2007 at 6:16 am
I don’t seem to remember telling you to personally “shove it” when you were comparing LOTR to spiderman and Star Wars. hence, hate speech.
And I am done even trying to debate with forum trolls.
September 26th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
kelsey,
y’got a point. you didn’t say: “shove it.” my bad.
but i’m no troll. possibly an ork…
now i still don’t equat it with “hate speech…”
It simply seems as if you’re:
1. whining:
really, how on EARTH can anyone say that the LOTR movies were NOT excellent? They are far closer to the books than we could have hoped. It’s not like George Lucas that basically patched together his own creation with duct tape and bubble gum. Here, the viewers have a viable piece of (dare i say) literature versus (star wars) a guy who has built an epic only on the silver screen…
2. Being critical…
Granted… not personally toward us… but, you’ve basically said that the best film to be on screen in the last 20 years was… eh… ok. I mean really… The movies built onto the middle earth franchise… now i’m not saying it needs to be a franchise to be great… but it’s so frustrating to see/hear the introspective-art-types who sit in a corner with something… and they always spout “sour grapes” if it becomes popular with the every-day-joe.
It’s like a teenager I met who was excited about Homestar Runner… 1 year later, he said it was no longer cool because: “everybody knows about it now.”
3. nit-picky:
Your view that the LOTR movies were less than great because of one minor character wasn’t shown seems a little as if you’re searching for something to not like. Really, it was a good part of the book… i love the TB part too! but i don’t think i Missed him. i dont’ think they did a bad job… heck, even the books i have were edited to correct some oddities in the original books.
so, my apologies for coming across brash…
please understand: The movies we all love are built by a crew of great craftsmen… chaning the craftspeople to a great degree will alter the continuity that YETANOTHEREXPERT pointed out… many of us believe that it is a bad thing to remove the chief chef that has already made the main course right before the dessert is made.
We all bring up a valid point… there are so many who will ONLY visit middle earth via the movie… why not give them a consistent place to visit. Sure, we can criticize them as being illiterate or stupid for not reading the books… but we can’t force them to do it… I’m sure that PJ will not leave out key characters.. he won’t alter the story. In fact, i seem to believe that he did a good job of making plenty of places for TH to tie into LOTR.
I want to see the SAME trolls as were seen in LOTR Extended DVD’s. I want to see a little bit of Gimli in Gloin… I want to see Ian Holm as Bilbo and Ian McKellan as Gandalf… and Agent Smith as Elrond (now that’s funny) “Mister Aragorn… do you know Neo? ok what about Frodo?”
don’t leave the debate just because of a careless comment…
well, later.
September 26th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
What do you guys think of the rumor that PJ will produce the movie which will guarantee that WETA is involved? I just saw it here:
http://the-hobbit-movie.com/2007/08/15/peter-jackson-to-produce-the-hobbit/
September 29th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
If will be the hobbits movie
the one person that can do this movie is Peter Jackson..
If someone else do will be a shit…
I love the lord of the ring and I know that if Peter Jackson
direct the movie will be a nice movie like the others 3 movies…
October 7th, 2007 at 6:48 am
It’s not that if PJ didnt direct it then it wouldnt be the awome movie that the LOTR was, but that the large majority of the actors from TLOTR wouldnt come back, personally id give it a chance if somewone else directed it, though PJ is the obveous choice, but i simpy couldnt even watch the movie is Sir Ian wasnt Gandalf… haveing anyone else would be the biggest mistake in movie history, imo, i dont care who it is, not to mention not havein hugo and Ian Holmes..
Also all the tubes sayin that TH is a childrens book unlike LOTR and its prolly better if some1 else directs anyway.. dont u think PJ f*ckin knows that? lmao.
u think hes gonna make a classic story about a dragons gold totally serious and full of tension.. if u do then ur obveously not too bright.
if NL have any1 else direct TH imo, BIG MISTAKE
they NEED the same actors actors that were in TLOTR, such as Ian Mckellen, or the movie will be an absolute FLOP!
October 7th, 2007 at 7:32 am
It is not that Peter Jackson would change the feel of The Hobbit if he directed it, rather that there is a danger of it happening. The best bet would have been to make The Hobbit first and then the Lord of the Rings. Continuity with the actors would have been easier this way.
As for being not too bright, check your spelling and don’t use abbreviations to hide the fact even further.
October 7th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Bob Shaye and Peter Jackson have kissed and made up thanks to a great profit share deal being on the table.
Expect an announcement soon.
October 11th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
If PJ doesn’t direct this movie I surely won’t like it as much as LOTR or King Kong. He is my favorite director and a movie like this is surely to be a phenomenon. I look forward to seeing it-as long as PJ directs.
October 12th, 2007 at 9:06 am
I didn’t read ALL the comments, so I am not sure this was addressed or not, but, frankly, The Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy are completely different styles of books. Hence I would expect a different style of movie from The Hobbit than we had with LOTR. Yes, continuity would be great, but I don’t think an epic-style movie that we had with Jackson’s LOTR really fits with Tolkien’s more child-directed writing style of The Hobbit.
October 12th, 2007 at 10:03 am
The fact that the books are written in different styles is irrelevant to getting a director that will keep the same continuity within the two stories.
Too many people assume that companies spend 250 million just for the hell of it; just to realize the EXACT interpretation of an author’s story on film. Are people really that naive? Epic movies sell tickets and movie studios can’t make a 5 hour movie with every piece of dialogue. It may be entertaining in a book but would be very boring in a movie. Shorter movies have more showings and therefore make more money. So certain things are omitted or added to engage the audience and help with the flow of the movie.
The fact is that ANYONE who directs this movie will create an Epic out of it because that is what the studio, distribution company, and the overwhelming majority of the “MOVIE” fans demand. For people who want a complete replication of the book in film form, they are welcome to shell out 500 million (to also purchase the rights) and produce it themselves. And I guarantee you that it would not make NEARLY the amount of money as an epic-style movie.
I loved the book and would also love to see all of those Tolkien nuances in the movie but I realize that we have the PRIVILAGE of seeing this on the big screen because someone is investing over a quarter of a BILLION dollars to make that happen, and you had better believe that they are going to want to maximize the return on their investment and risk.
Peter Jackson is simply the best choice for the mere fact that you will have the same sets, costume designers, digital team, and MOST importantly the same actors. THAT is what we mean by continuity. Don’t confuse it with artistic style.
Obviously Jackson or any other director is going to take the source material into consideration when creating a movie but let’s be clear, this movie is not being made specifically for kids. It isn’t another hyped-up pile of Pixar garbage. There is already a cheesy animated version of the Hobbit if that is your fancy. I, like so many millions of others am looking for a true prequel to LOTR. I want to feel like all of the movies were shot at the same time and I want to see the seamless connection between the two. If the story telling itself needs to shift slightly to take into account a change in tone, I’m ok with that, but the feeling of being immersed once again into Middle Earth is the #1 priority. I don’t want a different Gandalf, and a different Shire, and a different Bree, and a different Rivendell. There are other very capable and talented directors but ONLY Peter Jackson can deliver this continuity that is essential to the success of the movie, and the credibility. And how the story is written compared in LOTR is completely immaterial.
October 12th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Wanna know what i’m wonder for this movie - Where are they gonna get all the short people for Dains army? They’re gonna need alot. xD
October 12th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Peter Jackson has to direct the movie he is the only one who knows how to make a movie not Sam Raimi who make a disaster the spiderman movies the 3 sucks a lot
THAT’S WHY PJ HAVE TO DIRECT THE HOBBIT
October 19th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
Well, I think that the production of the film will sell great in the first week of its release no matter who directs it, but the company stands to lose a lot of credibility and money in “video” sells if Raimi doesn’t pull it off. I think that it would be better for Bob Shaye to appease Peter Jackson so that he stands to make more money on the movie sales and to drum up support and interest into the movie.
October 20th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Most of the previous comments are well made from obviously caring fans of the movies. So my three pennerth. PJ would be the obvious person to make and dirrect for reasons of continuity.
A rewrite of the hobbit in a more grown -up form is overdue and nessesery for a movie. Yes I would watch a lesser product made by another director, but probably only once, and as for DVD sales and a directors cut, forget it. Come on new line pay up, you will make far more in the long run.
p.s. at only 5 feet 5 perhaps I could audition for the dwarf army
October 20th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
How could The Hobbit be re-written in a more grown up form without changing the whole feel of the book? As for it being overdue, how many books are re-written just to bring them in line for a movie and still be succesful? It is not always necessary, just for it to be made into a film. And if it is, then you lose the essence of the original story, and are in fact making a film that has no bearing on the original story/book and are just making a film for commercial reasons. Is it all about money? Obviously. Big money must mean it is a faithful interpretation of the original.
Sorry. No.
October 20th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
I agree with Kelsey. The movies damn near ruined the books for me. I was afraid that I’d not be able to enjoy reading them…happy to say I was wrong but on re-reading ‘theFellowship’ recently I realized anew just how lousy the movies were. The battle scenes were flashy and the special effect good but among many other things Gimli was a joke, Aragorn was a light weight, Sam and Frodo were almost gay(not that anything’s wrong with that-I just don’t think Tolkien intended it), the last chapter, and perhaps the second most important, were left out completely, Eowin…the council of Elrond…c’mon. The shorter list would be what’s good in the movies
October 20th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
what if… and i do mean IFF, the story was told by Samwise Gamgee to his children… the story being told would have the child-like qualities… but as Sam reads, we fade into the REAL grown-up story that actually happened… Think of it as when Bilbo told his stories (like in LOTR, during the party where he’s telling the story to the children) he probably made it more child-friendly…
On another note, is it just me, or isn’t the little girl who is sitting in the middle while listening to that story just adorable? i want a daughter that’s that cute.
October 20th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
so, what if… and i do mean IFF, the story was told by Samwise Gamgee to his children… the story being told would have the child-like qualities… but as Sam reads, we fade into the REAL grown-up story that actually happened… Think of it as when Bilbo told his stories (like in LOTR, during the party where he’s telling the story to the children) he probably made it more child-friendly…
On another note, is it just me, or isn’t the little girl who is sitting in the middle while listening to that story just adorable? i want a daughter that’s that cute.
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:20 pm
I can’t get over how much most of you love peter Jackson; “The hobbit will suck if Peter Jackson doesn’t make it”, “I won’t go and see it at all if PJ doesn’t direct it”. How bout a room so u can go make out with him for a while! The LOTR movies were adequate, but i personally thought Jackson incredibly cheapened the story for many of the fans who actually sat down and read the books before the movie