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Bilbo's Back! Peter Jackson Making Two "Hobbit" Movies

Queenyforever
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Bilbo's Back! Peter Jackson Making Two "Hobbit" Movies

THIS IS ALSO IN OUR NEWS AREA..
Bilbo's Back! Peter Jackson Making Two "Hobbit" Movies
Peter Kafka | December 18, 2007 11:46 AM

Awesome Christmas present from Time Warner and Peter Jackson: The "Lord Of The Rings" director has settled a nasty lawsuit with TWX's New Line studio, and has agreed to make* not one but two movies based on the "The Hobbit". No idea what it cost New Line to make Jackson happy, but presumably it involves big heaps of money, which should be well worth it, given that the LOTR franchise generated $2.9 billion at the box office alone.

Other beneficiaries: MGM, which will co-produce the two movies, and Sony (SNE), which owns a piece of MGM. "The Hobbit" is scheduled for a 2010 release, with a sequel planned for 2011.

*The major "but" here: Note that Jackson has signed on as producer, not director, of the two films. No word on who's handling directing duties.

Press release excerpts:
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.; Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:

    -- MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, "The
       Hobbit" and a sequel to "The Hobbit." New Line will distribute in
       North America and MGM will distribute internationally.
    -- Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two
       films based on "The Hobbit." New Line will manage the production of
       the films, which will be shot simultaneously.
    -- Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the
       "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR) Trilogy.

Said Peter Jackson, "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. 'The Lord of the Rings' is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and
Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all
over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth.
I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us
find the common ground necessary to continue that journey."

The two "Hobbit" films -- "The Hobbit" and its sequel -- are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of "The Hobbit" release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.

From ABC news
Jackson to produce 2 Hobbit films

Posted 1 hour 14 minutes ago
Director Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios have agreed to make two movies based on JRR Tolkien's book The Hobbit, ending months of legal wrangling.

Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, co-chairmen and co-CEOs of New Line, says Jackson - the director of the smash hit Lord of the Rings series - and producer Fran Walsh will both executive produce a Hobbit movie and a sequel, but no decision has been made about who will direct the films.

MGM chairman Harry Sloan, who has been credited by all parties for bringing about the deal, says Jackson found it "impossible" to direct the film and meet proposed release dates in 2010 and 2011 due to other projects on which he is now working.

"He can't get it scheduled and he doesn't want the fans to have to wait for the next two movies," Mr Sloan said.

He says the studios might postpone the films if Jackson changed his mind.

Jackson's representative could not be reached for comment.

Jackson, Walsh and the studios will share approval "on all major creative elements" and will start considering screenwriters and directors in January.

The movies will be made simultaneously in New Zealand, starting in 2009.

Industry experts estimated the films will each cost $US150 million ($174 million) to $US200 million to make, based in part on the $US400 million cost of the first three Rings films and inflation.

The studios will likely have to negotiate more expensive deals with Rings cast members, such as Ian McKellen as Gandalf the wizard, if any of them return for The Hobbit.

But they could save money on special effects that were designed and built for the Rings films and could be reused.

Fantasy film The Hobbit tells of a world inhabited by wizards, dwarfs, elves and little people called hobbits, who include the central character, Bilbo Baggins.

The Hobbit preceded Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books, which were made into three hit movies by New Line that grossed roughly $US3 billion at global box offices, starting with 2001's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Jackson and Walsh envision the first film covering the events of The Hobbit and the second bridging the 80-year gap between that novel and the first Lord of the Rings book.

It was that vision that led MGM, which holds the film rights to the book and is looking for new movie franchises, to insist that Jackson and Walsh make the films.

"Once [they] played out their vision for The Hobbit as two movies ... MGM just took the position that we wanted to deal with Peter and it was not an option to do it with anybody else," Mr Sloan said.

Mr Sloan says the studios "would welcome as much of the original cast as possible," adding that "some of them have even said they are interested."

For years, the making of a Hobbit movie had been delayed while Jackson and New Line wrangled over profits from the Rings films.

The director had sued New Line, claiming it owed him money.

Jackson and New Line have now settled that suit.

The film-makers set up a website, thehobbitblog.com, to keep fans - who loudly protested the making of The Hobbit without Jackson - apprised of casting and other developments.

MGM and New Line, a unit of Time Warner Inc, will co-finance the films, with New Line distributing in the United States and MGM internationally.

MGM is a closely held company owned by private equity firms and media divisions of Sony Corp and Comcast Corp.

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12/20/2007, 2:59 pm

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IvanTheNotSoTerrible
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Re: Bilbo's Back! Peter Jackson Making Two "Hobbit" Movies

This is some great news. I hope they get their act together and start filming soon. I hope they can still use Ian McClellan. He is Gandalf!!!!

2/11/2008, 3:59 pm

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Queenyforever
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Re: Bilbo's Back! Peter Jackson Making Two "Hobbit" Movies

I'm so hoping so too! I can NOT wait for these movies... emoticon

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2/11/2008, 5:52 pm

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Re: Bilbo's Back! Peter Jackson Making Two "Hobbit" Movies

WOW!! great news..can't wait either.. :hpbn:

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2/13/2008, 8:48 am

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Re: Bilbo's Back! Peter Jackson Making Two "Hobbit" Movies

I'm "drooling" over the release of these new movies! I just can't wait! emoticon

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5/6/2008, 4:44 pm

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Queenyforever
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Re: Bilbo's Back! Peter Jackson Making Two "Hobbit" Movies

Oh Sok.....me either. I hope they make ALL of Tolkiens' books into movies! :bow2:

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5/6/2008, 5:42 pm

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Re: Bilbo's Back! Peter Jackson Making Two "Hobbit" Movies

Mortensen, McKellen & Serkis Returning for Hobbit?
Source: Variety
May 21, 2008

Pre-production is about to get under way on The Hobbit and its sequel, says Variety.

Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are expected to write the scripts under the direction of Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro. Preliminary contact has already been made with at least three actors whose "Lord of the Rings" characters also appear in the "Hobbit" storyline: Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Andy Serkis (Gollum).

"We will all be involved in the script in some fashion but the exact definition is about a week away, " said del Toro. "I am all for keeping the actors who originated the parts, as much as availability and their willingness will allow."

Del Toro will also be producing Hater with Mark Johnson for Universal Pictures. Based on David Moody's 2006 novel, the thriller is about an epidemic of random violence in which ordinary people strike lethally without warning or remorse. The book will be adapted for the screen by Glen Mazzara (FX's "The Shield").

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