Jackson’s Out
Of the HOBBIT, that is. According to no less a source than the man himself. This is what he told TheOneRing.net:
However last week, Mark Ordesky called Ken and told him that New Line would no longer be requiring our services on the Hobbit and the LOTR ‘prequel’. This was a courtesy call to let us know that the studio was now actively looking to hire another filmmaker for both projects.
Ordesky said that New Line has a limited time option on the film rights they have obtained from Saul Zaentz (this has never been conveyed to us before), and because we won’t discuss making the movies until the lawsuit is resolved, the studio is going to have to hire another director.
Given that New Line are committed to this course of action, we felt at the very least, we owed you, the fans, a straightforward account of events as they have unfolded for us.
OK, three things on that.
First, why does every “unexpected blockbuster” end up in at least one lawsuit? It happens with such clockwork, it’s beginning to seem cliched. Even I know that studios always cook their books to limit their profits as much as possible - particularly when someone is getting paid based on the financial date. And I’m not a big Hollywood A-lister, like PJ. How could he not expect this?
Second, I’m really confused by that “LOTR ‘prequel’” language. A friend of mine thought the confusion probably arose from the fact that PJ uses “and,” and actually means the one film: “The Hobbit, which is The LOTR prequel film.” Makes sense, except that’s a really weird way to use “and.” Plus, Jackson’s letter definitely say “both projects.” And a lot of the articles I’m reading seem to be assuming that there are several projects, as well. Which is terrifying, really.
But my last thought on the story is: good. PJ was never a fit for this book. His scope is growing as he progresses - I’m not even sure King Kong took place on this planet - and The Hobbit needs a director who is moving in a different direction. Lord of the Rings is an adult book, in many ways. The style may not be particularly adult, but the content is. But The Hobbit is a kid’s book in both style and content. And I think there’s a good chance PJ’s version of the story would have terrified its target audience for years.
Oh, and this might all be WRONG, anyway.
New Line’s given reason for proceeding sans Jackson is that the studio’s rights to the pic are about to expire, and seeing as the lawsuit with Jackson isn’t moving ahead, well, the message was that New Line is.
An MGM spokesperson tells Variety today that they’re going to fight for Jackson. The spokesperson states, “The matter of Peter Jackson directing ‘The Hobbit’ films is far from closed.”
You only have to do a Google search for one of the “Rings” forums to see what size backlash this one’s had.
I wonder if this might just be a strategic move in Jackson’s part. MGM must know how damaging it would be the the film’s pre-release buzz to be sans-Jackson. And maybe PJ’s trying to remind New Line of that fact, as well.
The plot thickens.
