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[snaildog]

I could see it

*Edit: Actually, I could really see it. The more I think about it the more I like it.

He actually looks and sounds quite a bit like Ian Holm too.

 

[Zeliard]

Really? Seems to me it's money in the bank just on the strength of the original films. I mean they clearly didn't decide to split the Hobbit in to 2 films for purely artistic reasons.

I agree. LOTR's enormous success has essentially guaranteed that The Hobbit will be pretty big, even if it doesn't have Peter Jackson's name behind it (at least as director - I believe he's still an exec producer).

If they can bring back some of the big names like Ian McKellen and keep that continuity strong, it'll just help it even more.

 

[Raistlin]

"Gary Oldman, in the role of a lifetime ..."

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Oh man, Warner Bros can't catch a fucking break. What is worse is that once again, FOX may yet rear its ugly head .

http://www.latinoreview.com/news/lawsuit-might-stop-the-hobbit-7431

Lawsuit Might Stop The Hobbit
By Dave Gonzales on July 17, 2009


If there's one thing I learned from the way Lord Of The Rings was released by New Line, it's that New Line's accountant were either incredibly dumb or some of the most evil people on the planet.

Peter Jackson himself sued New Line in 2005 for under-paying him on The Fellowship of The Ring. In 2007, Jackson settled for an undisclosed amount. Saul Zaentz, a producer who once owned film rights to the LOTR story also sued New Line over his share of the receipts and settled in 2005 for $168 million.

And this was all before Warner Bros. sucked up the studio.

Once again it's legal mumbo-jumbo time on Latino Review. Let's begin!

- In 1969 J.R.R. Tolkien sold the film rights to his work to United Artists for $250,000 and 7.5% of the gross after a studio recoups their expense. That much is known. The Tolkien Heirs and their charity group The Tolkien Trust also insist that the original contract let Tolkien revoke the rights to additional films in the event of a breach of contract.

- MGM bought out United Artists, absorbing the rights and keeping international distribution rights on the film while selling production rights to New Line, who hired Peter Jackson, etc.

- The Lord Of The Rings films gross an estimated $6 billion dollars (to date). New Line gets sucked up into Warner Bros. The Tolkien Heirs know that after the studio re-couped 2.6x their production budget, the estate is entitled to 7.5%.

- Time Warner doesn't pay out, so the Tolkien estate sues for $220 million dollars. The studio says the original contract is vague, so they're only going to hand over 20% of home video sales (because home video wasn't invented) instead of the 100% the Tolkiens are seeking. Studio lawyers also say that for some lawyer-ish reason, the Tolkiens are only entitled to 2.5%, not 7.5% of revenues from The Two Towers and The Return Of The King.

- The Tolkiens are pissed, settlement talks go south and the suit will go in front of a jury in October of this year in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Got it? Sort of?

Here's the nitty gritty: Time Warner thinks that with some "Hollywood accounting" and a few pithy legal fees, they can avoid paying out $220 million dollars. It's unlikely that this case will cost that much in man-power. Warners is a big studio and is good with the lawyering.

The Tolkiens, on the other hand, are pissed. So pissed, in fact, that if the original contract is upheld, they will halt the production and/or release of Guillermo Del Toro's two Hobbit films by pulling the rights all-together.

Warners obviously doesn't want that to happen, because they are looking at a pay day estimated around $4 billion if those two films are made.

Interestingly enough, if the Tolkiens do win and pull the rights from Warners, they would be free to sell those rights under a more modern contract. And get this: You know who owns the publishing rights to Tolkiens work?

NewsCorp.

Damn 20th Century Fox has an in.
Stay tuned, entertainment law fans.

 

[Femmeworth]

Oh god yes! Tennant would be awesome.

 

[SnakeswithLasers]

^^^ Fuck this movie. Pay the hobbits what they're owed.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

http://www.latinoreview.com/news/jo...ough-of-middle-earth-thank-you-very-much-8416

John-Rhys Davies refuses to join The Hobbit.

Empire spoke with John Rhys-Davies about possibly returning to playing a dwarf in The Hobbit. Not as Gimli, but as Gimli's father, Gloin. John ain't having it though:

"I've already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn't. I have already completely ruled it out. There's a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more."

So not even a small cameo?

"Why would you want to do it if it was just a couple of shots? When you've been 1 of 1, why would you want to be 1 of 13?"

 

[Retro]

http://www.latinoreview.com/news/jo...ough-of-middle-earth-thank-you-very-much-8416

John-Rhys Davies refuses to join The Hobbit.

I don't blame him. Apparently they were only able to film his scenes every other day because he had a terrible reaction to the prosthetic face pieces he had to wear (or the adhesive they used, I forget which).

As I recall, Gimli wasn't even in the book... he's the son of one of the twelve though.

 

[WyndhamPrice]

I think they were either going to maybe use him to play Gloin or use him in movie 2 where they'll probably work in as many cameos as they can from LOTR.

It's not really a big loss in any way and his reasoning makes total sense.

I do wish Christopher Lee was younger so we could have him do Saruman again when Gandalf visits the White Council. He said he's too old to travel to New Zealand. Hopefully he'll get to be Smaug's voice.

 

[Cheebs]

I think they were either going to maybe use him to play Gloin or use him in movie 2 where they'll probably work in as many cameos as they can from LOTR.

Movie 2 isnt the pre-LOTR thing anymore. They decided to split the hobbit in two and get rid of the bridge film idea.

 

[Bit-Bit]

They need to call James Cameron and get him to let them use his CG team to work a younger computer generated Ian Holm. Shoot it like the first 40 minutes of Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Somebody else's head with Ian Holm's younger cg face.

 

[MattKeil]

I do wish Christopher Lee was younger so we could have him do Saruman again when Gandalf visits the White Council. He said he's too old to travel to New Zealand. Hopefully he'll get to be Smaug's voice.

If they can digitally create Gollum, they can greenscreen some scenes with Lee in England and composite him in to the White Council stuff. He really deserves to be in there, considering how much of a Tolkien fan he is and how much work and help he provided on the LotR shoot. Hopefully Jackson is willing to go the extra mile to make it happen.

 

[PhoenixDark]

They need to call James Cameron and get him to let them use his CG team to work a younger computer generated Ian Holm. Shoot it like the first 40 minutes of Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Somebody else's head with Ian Holm's younger cg face.

James Cameron can keep his disappointing CGI to himself. I like what Jackson and Del Toro will do with WETA, CG and puppet wise

 

[Medalion]

Danielle stop being so greedy, you have Harry Potter, let someone else have that other fantasy series.

 

[Meus Renaissance]

Here's your candidate here

 

[Cheebs]

James Cameron can keep his disappointing CGI to himself. I like what Jackson and Del Toro will do with WETA, CG and puppet wise

It's not even like Ian Holm has it in him to do a 360 day shoot which is what the hobbit will be. He is a very old man. CGI changes or not you can't make him actually young enough to handle such a long shoot. He is nearly EIGHTY. No one that age can play the lead in back to back year long shoot of a epic movie. It's absurd to even contemplate.

 

[Bit-Bit]

It's not even like Ian Holm has it in him to do a 360 day shoot which is what the hobbit will be. He is a very old man. CGI changes or not you can't make him actually young enough to handle such a long shoot. He is nearly EIGHTY. No one that age can play the lead in back to back year long shoot of a epic movie. It's absurd to even contemplate.

He won't be doing the shoot. His body will be acted out by someone else. His head can be scanned and made younger and put on the head of someone else's body. Try contemplating that.

 

[Ripenen]

What about that fat guy who co-stars in all the Seth Rogan movies? Jonah something?

Edit: Jonah Hill

 

[beelzebozo]

story over on chud with ian mckellen talking about this

and it sounds awesome

"I think the script, because I have read it, plays very much to Guillermo's strengths, as I've seen them." So spake Gandalf! He also says that this time the script was very specifically written to his strengths as the character. "As Peter has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for The Hobbit] because they knew who they were writing him for," he told SciFi Wire. "There are a lot of characters in The Hobbit including, crucially, Bilbo, and they don't know who's going to play Bilbo. So it's extremely attractive that this part has been written for me. The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. There's lots for me to enjoy, in all sorts of ways. And I couldn't be happier. But I'm sworn to secrecy. I'm not to say anything at all about the script."

i love mckellen as gandalf. i love peter jackson. i love how "authentic" the LOTR trilogy felt. and i think THE HOBBIT is stronger, more enjoyable--and thankfully a bit more whimsical--source material from which to work.

this shit is ooooon

 

[Anasui Kishibe]

eh..

you know, I kinda liked the idea of James McAvoy. Tennant is obviously awesome, but him as Bilbo? Hum

 

[CENOBITE]

I could see it

*Edit: Actually, I could really see it. The more I think about it the more I like it.

Wow, wasn't this guy on the original OFFICE show? Wow, even tho I do like Tennant... this guy looks perfect for the part!

 

[Salazar]

i love mckellen as gandalf. i love peter jackson. i love how "authentic" the LOTR trilogy felt. and i think THE HOBBIT is stronger, more enjoyable--and thankfully a bit more whimsical--source material from which to work.

Precisely. 'The Hobbit' is a tight and rapidly moving story - I like what is in 'Lord of the Rings' more, but I revere and adore the shape of 'The Hobbit': the fact that it is an economical novel with epic implications. Agreed on McKellen, too. I think it would have been a shame if Connery had accepted when offered the role.

 

[Anasui Kishibe]

yep that's Martin Freeman, he also made the Hitchhiker's guide..movie. Not sure about him as Bilbo, looks way too much like Smeagol :lol

 

[Ceres]

story over on chud with ian mckellen talking about this

and it sounds awesome



i love mckellen as gandalf. i love peter jackson. i love how "authentic" the LOTR trilogy felt. and i think THE HOBBIT is stronger, more enjoyable--and thankfully a bit more whimsical--source material from which to work.

this shit is ooooon

Peter Jackson comes from New Zealand says to me: Sir Ian, I want you to be Gandalf the Wizard. And I said to him: You are aware that I am not really a wizard?

 

[beelzebozo]

hobbits just need to look hungry, freaked out, and helpless. he'll do just fine.

 

[Salazar]

Peter Jackson comes from New Zealand says to me: Sir Ian, I want you to be Gandalf the Wizard. And I said to him: You are aware that I am not really a wizard?

Christopher Lee also modeled his dying exhalation on being stabbed on his experiences as a commando. He'd heard what death from a knife in the vitals sounds like.

 

[GDGF]

Wow, wasn't this guy on the original OFFICE show? Wow, even tho I do like Tennant... this guy looks perfect for the part!

That's the guy from the Office UK?

He got old looking. But yeah, it looks like he would make a great Bilbo.

 

[Escape Goat]

1) Weird eyes, child-like face

2) Weird molester look

3) Looks like we have a winner

 

[PhoenixDark]

It's not even like Ian Holm has it in him to do a 360 day shoot which is what the hobbit will be. He is a very old man. CGI changes or not you can't make him actually young enough to handle such a long shoot. He is nearly EIGHTY. No one that age can play the lead in back to back year long shoot of a epic movie. It's absurd to even contemplate.

Agreed. It would be cool if Holm made a cameo as "old Bilbo" somehow, but ultimately the film needs a young actor. Having 13 almost indistinguishable dwarfs running around with a cgi faced Ian Holm doesn't sound like box office gold to me.

Most people who see the movie won't remember how Bilbo looked in FOTR, nor will they care if they do remember

 

[mrkgoo]

All they need is Andy Serkis back as Gollum.

 

[raebu]

2) Weird molester look

HDU! McAvoy is a beautiful Scotsman. It's just a bad pic.

I'd really love to see McAvoy as Bilbo.

 

[Buckethead]

I still can't believe Pea Tear Jackson fired Ryan Gosling from The Lovely Bones now we're stuck with say hello to your mother for me Mark Wahlberg. Gross.