Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh out of "The Hobbit"

[solicitr]

Even if this client happily pays $750/hr plus paralegal time plus expenses without quibble?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Yup! (Of course, I don't have any such clients.)

[Padme]

Yup! (Of course, I don't have any such clients.)

That's cause your on the wrong side of the business, your on the good side.

[Primula Baggins]

Things may be beginning to move:

Entertainment Weekly cover story

But now the legal battle that's kept The Lord of the Rings' prequel, The Hobbit, hung up for years — a bitter feud between Rings director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema co-chairman Robert Shaye — may finally be nearing resolution. For once, there's reason to be cautiously optimistic. At this writing, no agreements have been announced and details of the negotiations are sketchy (neither New Line nor Jackson's camp would comment to EW on any aspect of this story), but sources close to the talks tell us that they're detecting a lot less frost in the air, and that a deal may be reached that could help usher J.R.R. Tolkien's maiden Middle-earth masterpiece to screens before the end of the decade. ''There has been a détente,'' says one insider. There is now the beginning of a discourse between Peter Jackson and New Line that's running parallel to the litigation proceedings.''

[themary]

I read the article in Entertainment Weekly which was very interesting. I know we have some purists around that hated the movies but I can't imagine anyone else directing the Hobbit besides Jackson which the article also mentioned (well not about me but in general).

BUT also in EW was a nice little article about the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) contract being under negotiations and that a strike might be the outcome which would put the kibosh on film production. Now The Hobbit wouldn't be released until about 2010, IIRC, but this might slow down the process.

[Primula Baggins]

Are PJ/Fran Walsh/Philippa Boyens in the WGA? They aren't in America, and they aren't in a position where they need the union protection.

They did get a WGA award nomination for RotK, so maybe they are.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This is definitely the most optimistic comment that I have seen since the big blow-up:

Neither New Line nor Jackson’s camp would give comment to the magazine, but Shaye and Lynne, as much as they tried to dodge it, did give comment to us. “One film at a time!” Shaye laughed. “‘The Hobbit’ is in the future,” Lynne said, somewhat mysteriously. Does that mean there’s hope? “There’s more than hope,” Lynne said with a wink, as he walked away. So no details yet, but plans are definitely underway.

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/10/10/ne ... he-future/

[WampusCat]

It's confirmed! From the Associated Press:

After publicly feuding for more than a year, "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," a planned two-film prequel to the blockbuster trilogy.

Jackson, who directed "Rings," will serve as executive producer for two "Hobbit" pictures. They will tell the story of how the young hobbit Bilbo Baggins originally came to possess the nefarious One Ring that Frodo, his adopted heir, needed three films to dispose of.

A director for the films has yet to be named. Production is tentatively set to begin in 2009 with a release planned for 2010, and the sequel following in 2011.

Relations between Jackson and New Line soured after "Rings" despite a collective worldwide box office gross of nearly $3 billion. Jackson shepherded Tolkien's Middle-Earth saga to a combined 17 Academy Awards including best picture for 2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." The trilogy also includes 2002's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and 2001's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

"I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line," Jackson said in a statement. "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."

Late last year, acrimony between the 46-year-old Jackson and New Line became very public, with the studio announcing they would move forward with "The Hobbit" without him. Jackson sued New Line over the amount he was paid - including DVD payments - for "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first installment of the trilogy.

"The low point was when we both started getting a little too personal about this whole thing," said New Line co-chairman and co-CEO Bob Shaye on Tuesday. "From my own perspective, I realized that I shouldn't be so thin-skinned about everything that goes on in my professional life."

Jackson's suit, the two sides announced Tuesday, has been settled. The terms of the settlement weren't announced, though Shaye cheerfully said: "One of the key terms was we all shake hands with each other."

In his statement, Jackson thanked Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) Chairman and CEO Harry Sloan for helping him and New Line "find the common ground necessary to continue that journey."

New Line, which is owned by Time Warner Inc., holds the rights to produce "The Hobbit," while MGM, which is owned by a consortium including Sony Corp. and Comcast Corp., has the right to distribute it. The two studios will split financing and distribution costs, with New Line handling distribution in North America and MGM distributing internationally.

Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made all at once. Shaye and Sloan both said it was Jackson's idea to divide the story, adapted from Tolkien's first book about Middle Earth (which was about half the length of any from the trilogy that followed).

The film's production schedule is subject to how long the writers strike lasts, which some forecast could continue for many months. There isn't currently a script for either "Hobbit" film, and producers will be unable to even approach writers until the strike is over.

"If the writers strike drags on, then everything can change in terms of the time table," Sloan said Tuesday.

Sloan added that some patience has been necessary for making "The Hobbit" happen: "We've always taken the position that we wanted Peter to be involved in this project, but it's taken some time to work out the differences."

Jackson, who directed "King Kong" after finishing the trilogy, is currently finishing shooting for "The Lovely Bones," based on Alice Sebold's novel.

The three "Lord of the Rings" films rank among the 25 most lucrative films of all time, made more financially successful by the risky strategy of shooting all three together. The production budget for the trilogy has been estimated at around $300 million.

Tolkien's fantasy epic has been a cultural juggernaut since its publication in the 1950s, inspiring everything from the ubiquitous "Frodo Lives!" graffiti in the '60s and '70s to the Dungeons and Dragons phenomenon of the '80s. With the franchise now considered one of the most bankable projects in Hollywood, the "Hobbit" films will be expected to match the blockbuster success of "Rings."

[Primula Baggins]

I'm hanging on to find out who is directing and who is writing before I really feel relieved. (I know not everyone does!) If it's true PJ won't be involved day-to-day (and I frankly find that hard to believe), I hope the writer and director absorb their appreciation for the depth of Middle-earth's history and cultures and that the production values will be comparable. Even those who dislike everything else about PJ's LotR might be willing to agree that emulating PJ's work in that respect would be a good thing.

This makes it very likely that the same production team will be involved as far as possible—sets, costumes, score (!!!Shore!!!), etc.—and that Ian McKellen will again play Gandalf. I think that would have to be good news for most people, too.

[yovargas]

Totally off topic but:

The Lovely Bones is a 2002 novel by Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being brutally raped and murdered, watches from heaven as her family and friends go on with their lives, while she herself comes to terms with her own death. The novel received a great deal of critical praise and became an instant bestseller.

A film adaptation of the novel is currently in production and is being directed by Peter Jackson, who personally purchased the rights.

I just went and checked what kind of story it was. It reminded me that PJ isn't exclusively into doing the big blockbuster FX films. (Did anyone else see his dark drama Heavenly Creatures?)

[Primula Baggins]

It's on my list, yov.

Lovely Bones is that rare thing, a monster bestseller that's also a very good novel. It's intense, but I thought it was extremely well done.

Given that PJ succeeded with Heavenly Creatures, I think this is a good fit for him.