General Hobbit Movie Info (AVOID IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS)

[Primula Baggins]

Oh, wow. I can't wait.

Seeing Hobbiton and Bag End for the first time in FotR was overwhelming. Whatever else they got wrong, they got this exactly, precisely right.

[solicitr]

‘The Hobbit’ Delayed by MGM Financial Woes

Digital Spy spoke to Any Serkis, the actor who provided the motion-capture performance that brought Gollum to such vivid life in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In that discussion, Serkis dropped the news that The Hobbit would not be underway until the end of this year – almost six months behind schedule. Check out the interview with Serkis HERE.

Ian McKellen’s website has now been updated with the info that The Hobbit shoot will start “at a time to be announced.” A far cry from the June confirmation of last week.

Fansite The One Ring (which LOTR director Peter Jackson and Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro both visit), is claiming that The Hobbit has indeed been delayed, and that the culprit is none other than MGM and their current financial quagmire.

[Padme]

They've been talking to Lucas apparently....20 years here we come.

[WampusCat]

Lucas, prequel ... what could go wrong?

[Dave_LF]

I definitely backed off my predication this movie would never be made too soon.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

A nice article in MTV Movie Blogs interviewing Richard Taylor about the state of pre-production. It definitely sounds like things are still moving along, as he apologized at the beginning of the interview for being late because he "was in a big meeting about how to make the new designs of armor for the new film."

The best paragraph:

The lovely thing about 'The Hobbit' is that the race of the dwarves comes to the forefront in the story, and [we'll depict] the uniqueness of the collection of the dwarves," Taylor said. "There's a journey through the story with Bilbo, and that's something that's incredibly exciting — that we're going to have a chance to feed and develop and watch them take on a much greater presence than the one dwarf named Gimli was able to in 'Lord of the Rings.'

'The Hobbit' Team Is Getting In 'The Right Headspace,' Effects Guru Says

[Elentári]

Thanks, V! It's great to hear that design work is progressing so well towards the movie.

Loved this quote:

...it's fantastic to think that we're going to be able to develop the dwarves to such a higher degree ... the richness of their culture. The fact that through so many different dwarfs, you'll get to appreciate their cultural differences, where they come from, them as a people.

Just what we want to hear!

[River]

That touches on one of the key ways The Hobbit and LOTR have always complemented each other (aside from one being the other's sequel ). In The Hobbit, the reader learns a lot about who Hobbits and Dwarves are. In LOTR, the reader learns more about Elves and Men. But if you've only read one book, or only seen the movies, your understanding of the peoples of Middle Earth is going to have some pretty serious gaps, especially where any race other than Hobbit is concerned (you'll learn a lot about Hobbits in any of Tolkien's Third Age works). And since I read The Hobbit before I read LOTR, I knew who the Dwarves were and so my impression of all Dwarves never rested solely on the character of Gimli. But now I'm wondering...for those who perhaps met Dwarves the other way around (Gimli and then Thorin's posse), what was your impression going in and how did it change?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

From Guillermo in response to a TORN poster complaining about the delays:

But know these facts:

-NO delays have been caused by "discussing" or "adapting" 3-D.
-Can't close deals with actors without a green light.
-Can't give a green light to the project when one of the studios is going through a "to be or not to be" auction moment.

For good or bad this project has demanded for so much to be solved before it gets going. So, the Phil Connors syndrome is met with great empathy.

Best

GDT

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Some news from Peter Jackson at Moviefone:

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Jackson Dispels 'Hobbit' Rumors, Confirms Finished Screenplay

[Voronwë the Faithful]

GdT confirms that there is no greenlight yet, that as of now there is no plans to shoot in 3-D, and that the MGM situation needs to be resolved before they can forward, in a conference call to promote the move "Splice":

Q: We've been following your production of THE HOBBIT, and every time the production gets delayed. Do you know when you're actually going to start and get on set?

Guillermo del Toro: There cannot be any start dates really until the MGM situation is resolved, because they do hold a considerable portion of the rights, and it's impossible to make a unilateral decision by New Line or Warners to give the greenlight to proceed. We really believe that things will be known after the fact of MGM's fate. Whether they stay and get supported, or they get bought, or they transfer some of the rights: nobody knows. We've been caught in a very tangled negotiation.

Now I've been on the project for nearly two years. We have designed all the creatures; we have designed the sets and wardrobes; we have done animatics and planned very lengthy action sequences and scary sequences and funny sequences. We are very, very prepared for when it's finally triggered, but we don't know anything is sold.


Q: The story that was reported earlier today that THE HOBBIT has been greenlit and will be shot in 3D, that is false?

Del Toro: On both counts, there are no final answers. It is not greenlit. That is categorical. And 3D has been discussed literally once in the room. The budget and the schedule and everything that we are handling - the cost of the film, the number of days it would take to shoot - is being handled right now without looking towards 3D. Is there a chance it will become 3D in the future? Maybe. Right now, it's not being planned as such.

[ArathornJax]

I still stand by my original thought when the concern was with the TE lawsuit. Despite setbacks there is way too much money involved/to be made and so the film is going to go forward. It's just a question of when and GDT does make it sound like they are reading to go, and go strong once the MGM situation is back in. I've not had time to follow for personal reasons since last fall, but that is what I am gathering from this. Am I missing something?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

No, I think all you've missed is a bunch of waiting around. I'm pretty sure that we will have more solid information within the next couple of months. I'm guessing that the rumor that filming will start in November will turn out to be pretty close to accurate.

I hope that things are settling down for you and that you and yours are well!

[ArathornJax]

Thanks Voronwë. Things should settle by August . . . knock on wood but nothing as critical as other members are going through. I might be down in the San Jose area soon though.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Please let me know!

[Dave_LF]

I still stand by my original thought when the concern was with the TE lawsuit. Despite setbacks there is way too much money involved/to be made and so the film is going to go forward.

I don't know; the world is full of examples where mutually detrimental outcomes resulted because every party wanted it all and no one could compromise enough to reach a mutually beneficial one. The more money is involved, the more likely that sort of thing becomes. We may at least be in for a long wait.

That isn't to say I don't believe some agreement will be reached; I just think the film's anticipated blockbuster status makes compromise less likely instead of more. If this were just your average summer flick, they probably would have worked something out a long time ago.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Some nice Hobbiton pictures from the German site Herr der Ringe Film:

http://www.herr-der-ringe-film.de/v3/de ... _51264.php

[Primula Baggins]

Lovely, Voronwë! Thanks!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

And more: http://scifiwire.com/2010/06/11-photos- ... set-of.php

[Voronwë the Faithful]

And more: http://scifiwire.com/2010/06/11-photos- ... set-of.php