TORN Exclusive: Guillermo Del Toro departs “The Hobbit”

[sauronsfinger]

Good article Alatar. Thanks.

[ArathornJax]

There and Back Again, Peter Jackson's directing return to Middle Earth. Nice article Alatar.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Here is GdT's final farewell message on TORN's message board:

So, here I am again. As promised, I am posting a longer message before the week's end.

I have to thank those of you that have supported me from the start as well as those that converted along the way. And even say farewell to those that never did convert or believed.

I will miss Mr. Crere, the faith of Compa and Sir DennisC, the wisdom of Voronwë, the joy of Grammaboodawg, the support of Kangi Ska and so many, many others

Now, Pasi, et al- that is what is quite uncommon even on big films. Pete and co stuck to LOTR for years, I've developed films for years and I have shot many a movie on location... but rarely do you relocate for such massive amount of time specially when you have to do major ironclad agreements to put in deep freeze other contractual obligations with multiple studios.

My commitment to the project demanded enormous sacrifices both in personal and professional terms. The consequences of which will ripple for years. I relocated my entire life and family to New Zealand and first came on board in 2008.

So- while the cited delays, contractual complexities or obstacles, cannot be attributed to a single event or entity - you will simply have to believe that they were of sufficient complexity and severity to lead to the current situation. Trust me on this, Pasi- leaving NZ and the Hobbit crew is extremely painful.

As stated before- a wealth of designs, animatics, boards and sculptures is left behind representing accurately my ideas for Mirkwood, Spiders, Wargs, Stone Trolls, etc, etc and everyone (PJ, FW, PB and myself) has the same goal in mind: to try and ensure the best possible transition of the movie to a new director.

I believe these films will happen. Preproduction continues as we speak. The writing team of PJ,FW,PB and myself will keep moving the screenplays forward.

Perhaps even sooner than we may anticipate we will all look at the finished film and then- I will tear up whenever I recognize a set or a creature or a quirk created under my supervision. Everyone on these boards will get two movies. Me? I will be watching filmic family albums. Photos of my children from far away.

I hope you will understand how delicate the subject is for me.

I will drop by now and then, I will read the boards with interest and do hope to see some of you around at SDCC and many other places.

I am not here, however, to provide a blow-by-blow of what happened, but to assure you, as I have, that it has been the toughest situation of my life.

Beyond that- I am simply no longer an official voice for these projects. Be good, be well- and I invite you all to follow me into the next phase of my filmmaking journey.

Sincerely

GDT

It was kind of nice to get called out by name by him.

[Primula Baggins]

Yes.

And overall, what a gracious statement.

[yovargas]

He got the wise part right but he forgot the maverick part.

[Padme]

This must be tough for GdT, like getting invited to the ball and having to leave at 10 instead of mid-night.

It's cool you got called out by name Voronwë, perhaps you can continue your friendship with him. (I say this selfishly because I want to have an 'in' with GdT's films )

[WampusCat]

Smart man, that director is. Sees your wisdom.

That was indeed a graceful exit. I wish him well.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

It's cool you got called out by name Voronwë, perhaps you can continue your friendship with him. (I say this selfishly because I want to have an 'in' with GdT's films )

There's not really a friendship to continue, I'm afraid, just a brief flowering of mutual respect.

[Dave_LF]

So that really was you? What's the story; are you allowed to tell?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

There's nothing to tell. I guess he just appreciated my posts at TORN.

[Dave_LF]

Oh; I didn't realize that was a list of TORN posters. I always forget when I read those things that he's talking to TORN first and the whole world second. For a moment I thought they'd decided the author of "Arda Reconstructed" would make a good consultant (but then why would he have called you Voronwë? Yeah; it makes no sense in retrospect). Here's hoping the next director has that much sense!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Lalaith]

Very cool, Voronwë!

[ArathornJax]

First Voronwë, cheers to you on being recognized, but many people here and at TORN know your wisdom and insights are both thought provoking and delightful to read.

Next, I found this quote

"I am not here, however, to provide a blow-by-blow of what happened, but to assure you, as I have, that it has been the toughest situation of my life."

to be the most insightful. I think anyone who has reached a position professionally and personally where one feels that they cannot complete something they have taken on and thus have to walk away finds that to be deeply difficult. I wish him luck, and wish The Hobbit success because it will be wonderful to see more people come into the world that is Middle Earth and spend as much or as little time exploring it, and finding that roads truly do go on and on. I wish GdT success as he continues out the door from this project and moves down the road towards his next adventure. I will also state that I think there is more that is behind the quote then I want to go into because it would be speculation.

[sauronsfinger]

The professional life of anyone involved in film is of a limited nature. Once upon a time, someone like John Ford could have a long career spanning nearly fifty years. Today we see someone like John Hughes being red hot for a ten year span then sitting on the shelf for the last 15 years of his life leaving behind a mountain of never made projects and scripts. Michael Cimino was king of cinema in in 1979 but today is worthless to the business.

Del Toro seems to realize that there are only so many films he can make and only so many years he may have to do that. He has already spent two years on HOBBIT and has precious little to show for it. No actors have been cast and any actual films to be made could be two or three years or more from release. That adds up to five or more years years - a sizable chunk of a possible career. It also means crossing other projects he wants made off his list.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This is a good article in EW:

Del Toro's explanation just leaves us with more questions

In particular, they make the same point that I have been making, which is that he himself said that he had originally committed to a half-decade (see here), and that many of the other commitments that he has were entered into AFTER he committed to The Hobbit. So either the situation with the lack of a greenlight is more serious than we know, or there is something else that happened.

[Inanna]

I just realized that I am just one-degree removed from GdT.




to V. Just because.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[N.E. Brigand]

The professional life of anyone involved in film is of a limited nature. Once upon a time, someone like John Ford could have a long career spanning nearly fifty years.

Ford's film career actually exceeded fifty years! He was acting in 1914 and directed a documentary in 1970. (Though you're right on the money as for his career as a director of narrative films: 1917-1966.)

Today we see someone like John Hughes being red hot for a ten year span then sitting on the shelf for the last 15 years of his life leaving behind a mountain of never made projects and scripts. Michael Cimino was king of cinema in in 1979 but today is worthless to the business.

Quite so. Cimino brought about his own downfall, because Heaven's Gate was such a flop. In the classic studio era, directors had much less control over and responsibility for the films they made, but also were assigned less blame for failures.

[eborr]

Hail to the mighty V, however it does give us the problem that someone with insight into the great authors works, may actually be influencing the film-makers.

I have been using six degrees of seperation as part of a lesson in relationship marketing, so I can do gdt in two, impressive as that is Mandela in two is still the best.

I have not got over news that GDT is not going to direct the films, I sob inwardly as I drive home past Buckland and Underhill every evening