Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh out of "The Hobbit"

Post by **yovargas** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:24 pm

Minor, probably meaningless tidbit:

Raimi Open to Helming Hobbit
Spidey director muses on the possibility.
by Stax

April 16, 2007 - While doing press for the forthcoming release of Spider-Man 3, director Sam Raimi addressed the rumors that he is in the running to direct The Hobbit for New Line Cinema since studio chief Bob Shaye has banned Lord of the Rings helmer Peter Jackson from tackling the highly anticipated project.

"Peter Jackson might be the best filmmaker on the planet right now. But, um, I don't know what's going to happen next for me right now," Raimi told Entertainment Weekly.

He continued, "First and foremost, those are Peter Jackson and Bob Shaye's films. If Peter didn't want to do it, and Bob wanted me to do it -- and they were both okay with me picking up the reins -- that would be great. I love the book. It's maybe a more kid-friendly story than the others."

Of course, helming The Hobbit might preclude Raimi from returning to direct Spider-Man 4. Spidey studio Sony seems to understand that. "Listen, we're making Spider-Man 4. Our hope, dream, and intention is to do it with Sam. But I don't have a crystal ball," Sony President of Production Matt Tolmach advised the mag.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:53 pm

Raimi has every right to consider this, and to take the job if it's offered to him. But how I hope it won't be.

I'm sure he'd make a perfectly decent Hobbit movie, but the one I want to see is PJ's.

Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:55 pm

It's interesting that he seems to be implying that he would only do it if PJ gave his permission. Of course, it is likely that he is just being polite.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:05 pm

Too many tea leaves to read. Perhaps the rumors are being put around to gauge fan reaction to the idea. Or perhaps to put pressure on Jackson to cave in. Or perhaps Raimi is mentioning them so that he can turn down the job in a way that benefits PJ. Or so that he can accept the job and give people the impression, at least, that he sought and obtained PJ's blessing.

I should write soaps. :|

Post by **yovargas** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:06 pm

Or maybe he meant what he said.

Shocking thought, I know.

Post by **Frelga** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:35 pm

yovargas wrote:Or maybe he meant what he said.
)

Nah...

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:36 pm

No . . . that can't possibly be it.

(I do think there's more going on than the article conveys. Any situation involving canny lawyers, publicists, and executives and the potential for billion-dollar profits is going to have more layers than that. As I tried to say in my post, though, there's no way to know. In fact, wasn't it the screenwriter William Goldman who said of Hollywood, "Nobody knows anything"?)

Post by **axordil** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 4:14 pm

It may be Raimi's way of pressuring Sony on his terms for doing Spidey 4, too.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 4:20 pm

That in fact sounds quite likely to me.

Post by **TORN** » Sat May 12, 2007 1:06 am

http://movies.ign.com/articles/787/787664p1.html

Post by **Inanna** » Sat May 12, 2007 3:00 am

Any director coming after PJ will have my full sympathies. I'll prolly hate him too.

Though I think Stephen Sommers (The Mummy fame) would do a good job.

Sat May 12, 2007 3:21 am

Mark my words (again). The Hobbit (and the other prequel movie) will be directed by Peter Jackson. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

(Although I do think that Peter Weir would do a darn good job.)

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Sat May 12, 2007 3:27 am

Yes, I was happy to see Peter Weir's name on that list—I think PJ would be, too. They seem to have similar ideas about Getting It Right, and Peter Weir is incredibly gifted.

But the whole thing was erased by the nausea that set in when I saw the name "Michael Bay."

I hope you're right, Voronwë. Bob Shaye is elderly and his time at New Line will not be forever.

Post by **yovargas** » Sat May 12, 2007 3:15 pm

If Michael Bay is chosen to direct The Hobbit, fans should incite a no-holds-barred revolution against it.

Post by **Inanna** » Sat May 12, 2007 3:51 pm

V is right. It will be PJ. Lots of drama, throwing the ball around, but it will be PJ.

Post by **Old_Tom_Bombadil** » Sat May 12, 2007 4:47 pm

Voronwë_the_Faithful wrote:Mark my words (again). The Hobbit (and the other prequel movie) will be directed by Peter Jackson. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

Swami Voronwë has spoken.

I think the idea of two movies is silly, though. The Hobbit is a sliver of a book compared to LOTR, yet they only used 3 movies to tell the latter.

Post by **TheTennisBallKid** » Sat May 12, 2007 4:58 pm

Weir? Ooooo. Yes, please. (where's Di???)

ttbk

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Sat May 12, 2007 5:19 pm

Only one movie would be the Hobbit, Tom. The other would (apparently) be a movie that bridges the Hobbit and LotR, using material from the appendices mostly.

I would be excited to see two such movies by PJ. And while I know Peter Weir would make good films, I'd be worried about how far he might have to go to reinvent what PJ's already invented. It would just be more fun to have five films that more or less matched.

Post by **Frelga** » Sat May 12, 2007 7:22 pm

Someone has already brought up Harry Potter movies, which, while directed by several people, retain the same look and feel.

But the Mummy director?

The only redeeming feature about the Mummy movies was the casting of Oded Fehr.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Sat May 12, 2007 7:47 pm

That can happen, yes, but if PJ directed they could retain not just the "look and feel" but the services of a lot of people whose work helped make LotR what it was. I realize the new director would have access to all the costumes and sets that still exist, those being New Line property, but would he use them? Would he want to?

Would Ian McKellen return? That's important to me and probably to a lot of other fans of the original films.

New Line has to know that in bypassing PJ they would turn two expensive films that are as close to surefire hits as anyone ever gets into two expensive films that may or may not bring the fans back in—a much greater risk. The temptation would probably be to do them as cheaply as possible, which would only remove them even farther from what made the LotR films so popular.

No New Zealand locations, I would bet.