So, there were a couple other 4 year old threads without much information so I decided to create one since we are (hopefully) closer to starting production and filming. The legal battle over who is going to buy MGM has kept delaying the start date. Per the latest news updates though, the scripts are basically finished, battles are sequenced, creatures created and wardrobes designed and I know the sets are designed and currently being built because I have some friends over there working on it.

But the big reason that sparked my creating this thread was the fact that Guillermo Del Toro stepped down as director today because the delays have created a conflict in his scheduling and the total project will end up taking 2x as long as he was originally on board for. He is really invested in it so he will stay on during the rest of pre-production and then who knows from there. Maybe Peter Jackson will be able to take over once new rights are worked out and the project is "officially" greenlit.

Quote :

"Guillermo Del Toro announced today that he is no longer directing the two movies based on J.R.R Tolkien's "The Hobbit", but will continue to co-write the screenplays. Out of respect to the legions of loyal Tolkien fans, both Guillermo and Peter Jackson wanted to break the news to The One Ring first. They are both committed to protecting The Hobbit and will do everything in their power to ensure the films are everything that the fans want them to be. "In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming "The Hobbit," I am faced with the hardest decision of my life", says Guillermo. "After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I've been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director". "We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave the Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone's control - has compromised his commitment to other long term projects", says Executive Producer Peter Jackson. "The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn't feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I've ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him. Guillermo's strong vision is engrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA". "Guillermo is co-writing the Hobbit screenplays with Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh and myself, and happily our writing partnership will continue for several more months, until the scripts are fine tuned and polished" says Jackson. "New Line and Warner Bros will sit down with us this week, to ensure a smooth and uneventful transition, as we secure a new director for the Hobbit. We do not anticipate any delay or disruption to ongoing pre-production work". The Hobbit is planned as two motion pictures, co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM. They are scheduled for release in Dec 2012 and Dec 2013"

[Edited on May 31, 2010 at 3:02 PM. Reason : ]

5/31/2010 2:48:54 PM

i had no idea that guillermo del toro was either a writer or a director

5/31/2010 4:04:51 PM

am i missing something or did you just actually not know?

5/31/2010 4:51:31 PM

^^
Thinking of Benicio?

5/31/2010 4:54:10 PM

let george lucas do it

the world needs a willow sequel

5/31/2010 5:15:31 PM

lol

5/31/2010 5:36:22 PM

^^the world has a willow sequel. shadow moon i think is the name of it. lucas wrote it along with chris claremont of xmen fame.

5/31/2010 5:51:11 PM

yeah, thinking of benicio

durrr

5/31/2010 6:01:48 PM

^ok that makes more sense haha.

5/31/2010 6:05:37 PM

sounds like this will be another situation where legal troubles ruin the movie? I certainly hope not.

5/31/2010 10:02:16 PM

me too. I think these movies are pretty much guaranteed money...I think it's pretty silly they haven't been greenlit yet. Whoever ends up owning MGM and subsequently the rights to The Hobbit will end up profiting from it so it is frustrating that all this legal stuff is holding it up.

The main thing I was looking forward to from Del Toro's was his visual input based on the characters that have been in the movies he has been a part of like Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy. But I guess if they have gotten past that point in pre-production then he already had all the impact he would have in that dept which is good.

[Edited on May 31, 2010 at 10:11 PM. Reason : ]

5/31/2010 10:05:35 PM

Quote :

"After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures."

^ well hopefully they didn't throw out all his wonderful ideas just to spite him when he left. Pan's was great. I can't imagine how kick-ass The Hobbit could be with that kind of influence.

5/31/2010 10:14:47 PM

oh definitely not. It sounds like Jackson and him are on great terms still so I fully expect them to use a lot of his ideas. I guess I was trying to mention the positive thing from this departure. Kind of like "at least he stuck around long enough to get most of the pre-production design concepts done"

Because yea, I loved Pan's Labyrinth.

6/1/2010 7:28:07 AM

Why are they making it 2?? Just to profit doubly off of it?

6/1/2010 8:46:43 AM

Probably. Originally there were talks of The Hobbit being a single movie with a second movie bridging the 60 years between The Hobbit and Fellowship (there is a lot of possible story between the two for sure). However, that idea was squashed awhile back (or at least pushed off as "if it happens it would be a 3rd movie and The Hobbit will take 2 movies to tell).

This is from last year:

Quote :

"Del Toro decided The Hobbit required 2 movies to do the book justice as he also wants to cover The White Council and Dol Guldur within his movies. Del Toro has told MTV that we as fans should already know where he will break his 2 movies. “When you read the book, there is only one place to break it really and everybody knows it. It’s been discussed in forums and there’s a lot of people that are right. That’s where it’s going to break. So it’s very simple.” “What we’re doing is because we have the relationship between Bilbo and Thorin and all the dwarves, there is a logical place for that relationship. There is a moment in the book where something is accomplished that allows us to say, Okay, on to the next one after this.”"

6/1/2010 8:57:37 AM

i really need to read this book

6/1/2010 10:11:02 AM

if you haven't read it before, be warned that it has more of a kid-friendly, cheerful vibe than LOTR or The Silmarillion or something. That being said I absolutely love the book. Loved it as a kid and I still think it is a great story today.

6/1/2010 10:20:52 AM

i tore my room apart at home around christmas time a few months ago trying to find my copy of the hobbit since i hadn't read it since high school, but i couldn't find it anywhere

6/1/2010 10:20:54 AM

I'm pretty excited about this. I loved LOTR (books/films/universe/everything basically). I don't know how I feel about it being 2 movies though.

6/1/2010 1:01:19 PM

Quote :

"I don't know how I feel about it being 2 movies though."

i don't know if you could do it justice with one movie unless it was like 4 hours or something. from what i remember there was a lot more packed into the hobbit with more action and what not since tolkien never got overly descriptive like he did with LOTR.

6/1/2010 1:14:57 PM

Yea, I have gone back and forth, but part of it has to do with the way they (del toro and jackson) keep going back and forth and staying vague on what the two movies will cover.

I think The Hobbit is a great story in a single sitting, but I also know they want to not have to cut anything from this and at the same time not have it feel rushed since it is a pretty long journey with a lot to cover. You ^ are right that a lot more happens per page because Tolkien is not as verbose (not that he was too wordy in LOTR tho imo) or descriptive in The Hobbit.

Something I have seen talked about a lot on Hobbit movie message boards is stopping film 1 around Lake Town/Esgaroth with Smaug and the battle of 5 armies being in the 2nd movie along with some added footage from the White Council etc. We'll see what they do. I guess it is hard to make a judgment until we know how they are splitting the films.

As I posted above, both Del Toro and Jackson have said more than once that fans should "know" where they would split the two films but I have read that book several times and am not 100% sure since it would be somewhat based on what extra material they want to fit into these two movies.

[Edited on June 1, 2010 at 1:22 PM. Reason : ]

6/1/2010 1:16:44 PM

nice to see the same actors hopefully reprising their roles from LOTR

6/1/2010 1:30:54 PM

CalledToArms I hadnt heard they wanted to do the white council stuff. Thats actually kinda nice. Then again makes for another epic battle scene that will totally have to be scripted as it doesnt really exist in the books.

I also forgot Del Toro was helping with this. I hope he comes back on, he does an excellent job with any movie he handles.

6/1/2010 2:41:08 PM

Yea, like I said, no one knows for sure outside of the circle of writers exactly what they have finally decided on including in the movies, but it really does make sense to include the white council material. I know they mentioned having some legal troubles since they didn't have the rights to the Silmarillion, but I don't know how all that has or will work out.

But considering it is Jackson and the same core of people heavily involved in this creation of The Hobbit, it wouldn't really be out of place to include that material to explain Gandalf's absence from the end of Bilbo's trip as it would really help bridge these movies to the LOTR trilogy quite nicely.

And that brings me back to what people were discussing on the message boards and how I kind of agree with where they would cut it. They could cover the beginning of the story and a lot of the fun adventurous stuff along the way (spiders, trolls, elves, Beorn, etc.) in the first movie up until the Lonely Mountain stuff and leave at a pretty good breaking point with Smaug and the mountain looming (sucks to have to wait for the best parts, but it is a great spot to make people come back for more).

It seems weird at first if you look at The Hobbit book simply by page numbers and think "hmm, that leaves 2/3 of the book for the first movie and only 1/3 for the next." But if you really think about it, you could easily start the 2nd movie with a bunch of white council stuff that isn't explicitly in the Hobbit text but matches up with the time frame at the end of film 1. Then you still have Bilbo's time in the mountain with Smaug, Smaug's attack on Lake Town, the battle of five armies, the journey home etc. And almost all of those really are areas that you don't want to force or rush at the end of a 3 hour movie that has everything I see as being in film one. When you really start thinking about the time to adequately adapt those portions of the book, you can see pretty easily how they can be fill an action packed feature film length themselves imo.


[Edited on June 1, 2010 at 3:08 PM. Reason : ]

6/1/2010 3:00:35 PM

That sucks. Other than him and Jackson I'm not sure who else would be great to direct it. Since both of them are still writing it though hopefully the director will have a pretty easy job though in respect to the characters and story.

I just watched the Rings movies a few weeks ago for the first time and was wondering what was going on with this movie. This MGM thing is screwing a lot of people though, Bond 23 is held up because of it too.

6/1/2010 3:12:17 PM

yep.

And it does suck but yes, Del Toro has already had a ton of input to the art direction, creature design, writing etc. that will go into it. I don't think it is out of the question that Jackson could end up directing, but another name that has been thrown around is Alfonso Cuarón who is a friend of Del Toro.

He was the producer for Pan's Labyrinth, the director for Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban (I am not a Harry Potter fan, but this is probably the best and most well-directed movie of the ones released), and the director for Children of Men (which had awesome direction).

And yes, I am way too excited for these movies. But I am getting impatient. These were being talked about by Jackson already when LOTR was getting ready for initial release. And I have been waiting ever since. That plus, Ian McKellen is Gandalf incarnate and he isn't getting any younger.

[Edited on June 1, 2010 at 3:32 PM. Reason : ]

6/1/2010 3:24:02 PM

hrmph hrmph hrmph. fire the director. cancel the project. call HBO. hrmph.

6/4/2010 12:00:40 AM

^ I wish I still had copies of that. Never did get to see Fellowship of that version.

6/4/2010 10:09:37 AM

^ there wasnt a "fellowship" of that version
the animated movies available are:
The Hobbit by rankin bass
The lord of the rings done with rotoscope
and The return of the king also done by rankin bass.

the animated LOTR ends at the battle for helms deep and the return of the king picks up where it left off.

6/4/2010 4:45:00 PM

Quote :

"“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, 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.”"

-GDT

just to provide more information on what we already probably knew. But because they were so far along, he already had significant impact on the design input that Jackson will definitely be keeping around for the movie which is great news.

6/8/2010 8:20:23 AM

hobbit movie thread bumped

10/22/2010 9:42:03 AM

The greenlight was given this past week. The main hurdle left now is with the labor unions down there in NZ. The production companies are trying to decide whether they can still film in NZ or have to move to the UK. I really hope they get to stay in NZ, but I'm sure the films will be great either way. And the fact that they have a greenlight and are announcing casting news is awesome

Also, with that casting news...

Martin Freeman is confirmed to play Bilbo Baggins now! He was my first choice for sure.

10/22/2010 9:53:39 AM

Is Andy Serkis recast? It will ruin the whole thing for me if he isn't.

10/22/2010 10:29:44 AM

I would assume so...He's P.J.'s go-to guy for those things

10/22/2010 10:34:55 AM

^^ pretty much ever since since PJ and GDT started working on this more full time a few years back, both McKellan and Serkis said they would be back.

As of a few months ago it sounded like that was still true and I agree that he was great as Gollum. However, I would be more upset if McKellan couldn't return somehow. He was just an impeccable cast for Gandalf.

I really think Freeman will make a great Bilbo and he can easily pass for a younger version of Ian Holm's Bilbo.

[Edited on October 22, 2010 at 12:01 PM. Reason : ]

10/22/2010 11:59:48 AM

So I guess they are serious this time. Seems like this project was always on again off again. For me they've essentially reached boy who cried wolf status with their announcement on this film.

10/22/2010 2:17:27 PM

well, you have to understand the whole backstory for this film. For Peter Jackson, the returning actors, and the WETA design studio it has ALWAYS been 100% planned go.

There was licensing issues at first and then that got worked out.

Then MGM, who had the license, declared bankruptcy so the film couldnt be made. That has held it up for almost an entire year here until WB and New Line stepped in and are now funding this through MGM. The labor unions in NZ and Aus have also been a pain to deal with.

The entire time all this has been going on, PJ and crew have been working full steam ahead with a limited budget to get this ready to go as soon as they got the official greenlight. They have tons of sets built, already had cast people (but couldnt announce it until they got this greenlight. Then tons of casting news came out this week because of the greenlight).

So, I can understand what you are saying, but it is not so much the "boy who cried wolf" as much as it was legitimate hurdles that were just a political nightmare to get through. 99% of them have been resolved though.

[Edited on October 22, 2010 at 5:22 PM. Reason : ]

10/22/2010 5:20:59 PM

I understand all that. Not saying they were lying the whole time. Just saying I'm expecting another hurdle that stops this any day now.

10/22/2010 5:27:07 PM

haha yea I'm keeping my fingers crossed

10/22/2010 6:50:22 PM

New Zealand, filmmakers reach agreement on 'Hobbit' movies

Quote :

"(CNN) -- The New Zealand government said Wednesday it has reached an agreement with filmmaker Peter Jackson and Warner Bros studios to ensure that the "Hobbit" movies will be made in the country. A labor dispute between the filmmakers and New Zealand actors had threatened to derail the $500-million project from being shot there. The two-film project is the predecessor story to "Lord of the Rings" -- a trilogy that was a box office smash worldwide. Actors in New Zealand work as independent contractors. The New Zealand Actors Equity mounted a campaign to press for union wages and work standards. They had called on their unions in other countries to boycott "The Hobbit" to press for a new contract. In response, Jackson threatened to move production off-shore. On Wednesday, Prime Minister John Key announced that an agreement had been reached -- but he did not elaborate. "I am delighted we have achieved this result," Key said. "Making the two Hobbit movies here will not only safeguard work for thousands of New Zealanders, but it will also follow the success of the 'Lord Of The Rings' trilogy in once again promoting NZ on the world stage." Key said lawmakers will introduce legislation Thursday to "clarify the distinction between independent contractors and employees as it relates to the film production industry." "It is this clarification that will guarantee the movies are made in New Zealand," he said. Filming is expected to start early next year, with "Lord of the Rings" actors Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis rumored to reprise their roles as Gandalf and Gollum. "It's good to have the uncertainty over, and to have everyone now full steam ahead on this project," Key said."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/27/new.zealand.hobbit.movie/

I will also say that Andy Serkis already confirmed this week that he plans to come back.

10/27/2010 7:41:23 AM

good news, cast members are signing on quickly

http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/390-its-official-ian-mckellen-to-return-as-gandalf-in-the-hobbit

Quote :

"Ian McKellen has signed on to return as wizard Gandalf in "The Hobbit," the two-pic adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel being directed by Peter Jackson. The dealmaking on Hobbit for a slew of Jackson veterans from his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy has been coming fast and furious and comes on the heels of Andy Serkis finally inking his deal to reprise Gollum. "The Hobbit" book introduced Gandalf and Gollum, with both characters going on to become part of literature's most popular characters. Gandalf sets the adventure going in the story and appears throughout the novel. Gollum appears in a chapter that has gone on to be one of the most memorable in all of fantasy literature. Elijah Wood signed his deal to return as Frodo last week, and Cate Blanchett will play Galadriel once again. Orlando Bloom has an offer to return as elf archer Legolas, though it's too early to tell if a deal will be made. McKellen, who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Gandalf, has spent recent years doing mostly voice work for film and TV, although he did star in the remake of AMC's "The Prisoner." His last major film role was in 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand." "Hobbit" starts shooting Feb. 14 in New Zealand."

[Edited on January 12, 2011 at 2:37 PM. Reason : asdf]

1/12/2011 2:35:31 PM

Quote :

"Elijah Wood signed his deal to return as Frodo last week, and Cate Blanchett will play Galadriel once again. Orlando Bloom has an offer to return as elf archer Legolas, though it's too early to tell if a deal will be made."

Huh? I guess I can see working Galadriel and Legolas into the story (Galadriel especially), but Frodo? Maybe some kind of Red Book of Westmarch framing sequence?

1/12/2011 2:47:30 PM

I'm assuming that Frodo, Galadriel, and Legolas will have some sort of oh, there they are moment in the background of some scene? I couldn't see any of them getting more than a brief cameo.

They've gone full Star Wars prequel... just shoehorn in all the popular characters and see what sticks. Toss in Aragorn as an child playing the part of an inexperienced but eager boot black.


[Edited on January 12, 2011 at 2:56 PM. Reason : -]

1/12/2011 2:53:51 PM

Yeah some of the casting of people from LOTR is a little weird since they definitely have to "work them in" and in the case of Frodo, wasn't he not even alive at the time of The Hobbit? I trust Peter Jackson but he better not screw this up with trying to tie this too much to LOTR or make too many side-jab nods/winks to LOTR because imo that would really ruin the movies. Winks to future events SOMETIMES work in things like the comic book movies where they are trying to set up future events or introduction of characters but to me it would just almost break the fourth wall in a sense in the world of Tolkien. The whole thing about The Hobbit is that it is it's own story: fun, more lighthearted than LOTR, and just a good stand-alone story. Maybe I'm being overly critical but I've been waiting for this movie to be made well since I was a kid and I just want it to be perfect

I think they have done a great job with casting though and Jackson did a very respectable job with LOTR. They had to get McKellen and Serkis back and I actually really like the Bilbo casting.

[Edited on January 12, 2011 at 3:08 PM. Reason : .]

1/12/2011 2:58:07 PM

Quote :

"Maybe some kind of Red Book of Westmarch framing sequence? "

I think I read somewhere that Ian Holm will be in the movie as "Old Bilbo", which seems to support the framing sequence theory.

My only reservations about a Hobbit movie are gone now that Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are signed. I hope Galadriel and Legolas only make cameos, but the genius casting of Martin Freeman as Bilbo makes me confident that Jackson isn't full-blown Lucas yet.

1/12/2011 3:17:56 PM

for sure. Although I do have a few worries as stated above, the biggest ones have been crossed off with the casting.

[Edited on January 12, 2011 at 3:20 PM. Reason : .]

1/12/2011 3:20:28 PM

Legolas as it was said can just be some random elf. Youll probably see him for 5 minutes when they are in the Wood Elf King's domain.

If the White Council is featured as much as they are saying, Galadriel will have a major role there. Technically Saruman should be in that as well.

I have no clue on why Frodo is being featured at all.

but as ^ said, I agree that it is hopeful that all the cast has resigned back on.

1/13/2011 11:22:30 AM

I have to fast forward through the Sam and Frodo scenes when I rewatch the DVDs. Please keep Frodo's role to a minimum.

1/13/2011 12:27:03 PM

Frodo is gonna pop in via a time machine and warn Bilbo about the dragon

1/13/2011 12:31:49 PM

I always think "dildo" when I here bilbo



oh yeah, and set em up

1/13/2011 1:11:11 PM