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Chic, IL WOOHOO..."The Hobbit" movies are officially a go!!!

Discussion in 'MidWest Regional Discussion' started by Dex_Luminara, Dec 18, 2007.

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  1. Dex_Luminara

    Dex_Luminara Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 21, 2004
    They just officially announced today that Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh have resolved their differences with New Line and they are going to Executive Produce "The Hobbit" as a 2 part motion picture. He won't be directing but at least he's in charge! Here's the link for the full story:

    Official Hobbit Announcement

    Long Live Middle Earth!!!
     
  2. Bosh_Talk

    Bosh_Talk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2000
    Jurassic Park III anyone? Howard the Duck?

    E.D. is a pretty ambiguous title. It can mean he'll have complete control over every aspect of it, or can just mean he's getting paid to put his name on top of it. I would hope it's the former rather than the latter, but who knows what they'd do to get the (up till now seemingly irreconcilable) differences settled between them and the studio? How many BILLIONS of dollars are we talking about altogether?

    I mean I actually think the quality control on this movie will be pretty tight either way, but I'm sure we'd all rather see Jackson sitting in the director's chair.

    D'
     
  3. darthgoat

    darthgoat Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2001
    ABOUT
    GOD
    DAMN
    TIME
     
  4. Dex_Luminara

    Dex_Luminara Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 21, 2004
    You know they'll stick with WETA for all the visual, costuming, makeup , and weapon fx...which Jackson has ownership stake in. And in all liklihood they'll have Jackson, and Walsh write the screenplay that's to be filmed. I'd compare it to the Indiana Jones series. Anyone who thinks Lucas only has his name attached is an idiot. His pickiness is the reason behind the everlasting script refusals that FINALLY led to the film we're getting after 18 years.

    And you also have to have come across the multitude of interviews with various directors that all have stated its "Pete Jacksons gig" and they would all want his blessing before accepting it. Therefore, this is still gonna feel like a Jackson production! I really don't see this being like the Lucas/Kasdan battle of wills.

    Dex
    P.S.- And they'll never get Ian Mckellen to return without assurances that P.J. is the man in charge.
     
  5. darthgoat

    darthgoat Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2001
    I know for a fact that Weta has been maintaining the Hobbiton set in NZ because they knew this would happen someday. I expect the same quality and attention to detail.

     
  6. Bosh_Talk

    Bosh_Talk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2000
    That's a chicken I definitely wouldn't count till it hatches. I have more hope for The Hobbitses.

    D'
     
  7. darthgoat

    darthgoat Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2001
    C'mon dude, the guy isn't Lucas. He actually made good flicks BEFORE LOTR.
     
  8. Dex_Luminara

    Dex_Luminara Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Apr 21, 2004
    Totally...I have been a fan since "Brain Dead" and "Meet the Feebles", and "The Frighteners". Not that you hold those in the same respect as LOTR but I've been a fan since his beginnings, regardless.

    And as for Indy... I never said I thought it was guaranteed magic. I only stated that Lucas was an underlying reason behind the almost 2 decades of delay, as a point to prove that an XP is capable of carrying all the film-making power that matters.
     
  9. Bosh_Talk

    Bosh_Talk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2000
    Yeah, I said I think the quality control will be high on these. I'm just saying that having a particular name attached to a franchise is by far no guarantee that it's going to have the magic and wonderfulness of past successes.

    The Hobbit "sequel" is what has me really worried.

    D'

     
  10. Dex_Luminara

    Dex_Luminara Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 21, 2004
    The discussion on how the 2 parts will be played out has been going on for a loooong time. Even before FOTR was released.

    One version has been that it will simply be the story of "The Hobbit" played out over 2 parts with Part 1 obviously being a cliffhanger ala FOTR and Two Towers. I'd be fine with that as there was PLENTY of story that didn't make it into the cartoon version, so it could definitely be made into a film that length.

    The other method was going to be a wholly original story that would fill in the gap between "The Hobbit" and the events of "The Lord of the Rings". This would be done by using every note, appendix, journal, and bit of background information that Tolkien wrote about the characters we all know and love. This type of story was to be written by PJ and Fran and would be done the same way they fleshed out the Aragorn and Arwen story by using Tolkiens appendixs on the characters. So long as it would be written by PJ and Fran then I'm not against this either. As long as its true to the characters as we know them AND to Tolkien's vision then even an expanded Middle Earth is just fine with me.
     
  11. darthgoat

    darthgoat Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2001
    Sounds like Dave has some sand in his Va-jay-jay.
     
  12. DarthAstuart

    DarthAstuart Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    Someone please fly to FL and pop a cap in my brain after I type these words, for I no longer wish to live:

    I agree with Dave. If there's sand in his va-jay-jay, sprinkle some upon mine as well.

    You know me...it don't take much to get me excited, and I give most creators every benefit of every doubt I can, especially when they've done something I love. But Jackson and Walsh exec-producing just doesn't have the same guarantee of awesomeness that Jackson directing, Jackson & Walsh co-writing with Philipa Boyens (sp?), etc. does.

    Again, still excited, still hopeful, but man...this could go pretty wrong. The possibility is there, even if it's a slim one.
     
  13. Bosh_Talk

    Bosh_Talk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2000
    Go back to 1996 and try to convince me (or almost anyone else here) that it'd be possible to screw up Star Wars.

    D'
     
  14. darthgoat

    darthgoat Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2001
    Yeah but Lucas had already dropped the ball a couple of times in between the OT and the PT. Let's go by the numbers.

    -Howard the Duck
    -Radioland Murders (WHAT THE DEUCE?)
    -Greedo shoots first
    -Beak on the Sarlacc
    -Musical number in Jedi (Original recipe and SE)
    -Ewoks

    The signs were all there in front of us for failure of the PT. The most grievous (see what I did there) was the Greedo shooting first plot mucking IMO. This completely altered how we viewed GL as not a man with reverence for what he created but as an endless tinkerer who has no respect for what he's done.

    PJ on the other has proven that his flicks are of high quality. Even without the big budget something like Heavenly Creatures HAS to make you take notice and recognize the skills of that whole crew. That movie is as disturbing as it is interesting.

    Look at the changes to the LOTR:EE. FANTASTIC! All the changes are welcome and really enhance the story. They were clearly well thought out and well executed.

    The more recent Kong, while no LOTR, was still a solid movie. PG got Jack Black to act! WHO KNEW?! Have some faith!
     
  15. Bosh_Talk

    Bosh_Talk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2000
    Yeah, hence I set the date to just before the SE's. Also, Lucas was Executive Producer on Howard the Duck. I've never seen Radioland, but I see that GL was ED & Story on that one. Directors of both were nobodies who went nowhere, so maybe GL picked directors who'd do everything he said....and failed.

    Once again, I'm not arguing that The Hobbit is going to suck....I'm just saying I don't trust Hollywood.
    I'm not worried about the WETA stuff, I'm more worried about casting. Casting (amongst other things) is where Jackson and Spielberg excel and Lucas fails. The LotR cast was pretty much perfection IMNSHO. But, since we don't really know how much license/control "Executive Producer" means in this case (yet?), so who knows?

    D'
     
  16. Le_Penguin

    Le_Penguin Jedi Youngling star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2000
    Hear hear. (here here?)


    Gotta disagree there. Lucas' casting (by himself and/or his people) is overall pretty solid. He's just a s#!tty director of actors. With almost the exact same cast from ANH to ESB but with vast differences in performances, can you really argue that the wrong people were cast?

    This is where I think the entire comparison between Lucas and Jackson falls apart. Jackson is an excellent producer (in the classical sense, not the modern "money man" definition) and director. Lucas is an excellent producer (in the same style as Jackson) but not a good director. Even RotJ, the weakest of the OT, has generally solid performances and pacing compared to the prequels and even ANH. Lucas excels at inspiring creative people... just as long as they're not in front of the camera. That's the very definition of a good producer, not a director.

    Comparing Lucas to Jackson is like comparing apples to apples and oranges at the same time. That wouldn't be a slight against Lucas at all (heck, I'll take Lucas' apples any day of the week) if he hadn't tried to be an orange so many times.


    As far as the impending Hobbit movies (god, I hope the second one is titled "Hobbit II: Electric Boogaloo"), a lot of it will come down to the choice of director and how they're gonna stretch a comparatively thin novel into two films. The greatest thing Peter Jackson did for LOTR was to chop all the boring crap out of Tolkien's bloated, meandering, self-indulgent tomes. The possibility that they'll do the exact opposite just to milk the profits from a second film is kinda disturbing.

    -Le Penguin
    " 'I've placed information vital to the security of the Rebellion into the memory banks of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it.' ... To call it stilted is a kindness." - Carrie Fisher

    "I remember telling George, after getting the line wrong 'It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navicomputer', that it was easier to write this sh!t than it is to say it." - Harrison Ford
     
  17. Bosh_Talk

    Bosh_Talk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2000


    Did you actually just type that sentence?

    I wont disparage Lucas' OT casting. But outside of Neeson, McGreggor and the returning old-schoolers, the entire prequels could have been recast without doing much worse IMHO.


    D'

    "Hi I'm Han Solo and the only actor whose career isn't destroyed by this movie"

    "heck, I'll take Lucas' banana any day of the week" [fixed]
     
  18. Hazmatt

    Hazmatt Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2002
    Fixed.
     
  19. DrJawa

    DrJawa Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 22, 2005
    Jackson not directing worries me. Don't get me wrong I have hope since he and WETA are involved but still I need to see a writer and director before I can start feeling confident about this. Also, the concept of a second movie though exciting that I always want more worries me in this case as I don't see The Hobbit being enough for two movies.
     
  20. Le_Penguin

    Le_Penguin Jedi Youngling star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2000
    I am deeply ashamed that I didn't think of that in the first place.

    And yes, I'm openly defending my preference for Lucas's abilities as a producer and visionary over Jackson's (at least when it comes to LOTR.) Lucas knows how to find some of the brightest and most imaginative artists (sound, visual, design, etc) and routinely brings out the best in them. Unfortunately, that same Lucas often uses these incredibly realized worlds to put forth a half-assed story with uninspired actors.

    By comparison, Jackson has made three very good movies set in a pretty mudane world. Apart from the Balrog and maybe Sauron in the prologue, what in LOTR was new or exciting from a design standpoint? At the end of the day, a guy with a sword and a shield is still a guy with a sword and a shield. New Line just had better tech and more money than the people who made "Excalibur" (or "Holy Grail" for that matter.) It's a testament to Jackson's direction and the screenwriters' adaptation that the LOTR movies turned out as good as they did. In fact, they're probably the best the genre can do, given its limitations.

    This sorta recalls the Academy Awards of 1999. "The Matrix" won best visual effects, something to be expected. But it also won best sound effects, which I simply cannot understand. Rip on TPM all you want (I'll join you); but Ben Burtt created wonderful sounds for things that were entirely alien to us, somehow making those new objects familiar without seeming derivative of real life, and yet he lost out to a team whose chief job was to mimic gunshots and slow down the playback once in a while.

    Bottom line is that I love the world(s) Lucas and his team create, maybe more than any other fictional environment. Hell, we all do. That's why we're still here, even after the heartbreak of the last decade. It's why we read the books and play the games and watch the spinoffs. That's also why it's especially frustrating when the films went wrong: the same person who ruined this fantasy is the one who created it.


    Back to The Hobbit... I wonder if Jackson can get del Toro to direct.

    -Le Penguin
    "She threw me a look I could feel in my hip pocket."
     
  21. darthgoat

    darthgoat Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2001
    That Del Toro rumor is gaining steam.

    http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2007/12/will-guillermo.html

    I REALLY hope that is the case.
     
  22. DarthAstuart

    DarthAstuart Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    See, putting del Toro in the director's chair with Jackson producing...that changes everything. I can get excited abou tthat.
     
  23. Mos_Eisleian_Radio

    Mos_Eisleian_Radio Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2000
    According to Sci-Fi Wire (who said they got it from Variety), Sam Raimi has been chosen to direct.

    EDIT: I see that ComingSoon.net reported that back on November 23 (before the Jackson announcement) while Sci-Fi Wire is reporting on this today. So, who knows if Raimi will be attached.

    Phil
     
  24. darthgoat

    darthgoat Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 6, 2001
    That is just rumor and after the POS that is Spider-Sh!t 3 I'd prefer Raimi go DIAF.
     
  25. Bosh_Talk

    Bosh_Talk Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2000
    Raimi makes fun, not beauty....and even the "fun" isn't always so much. I'll donate a couple dollars for the gas can if it'll help him DIAF if he gets chosen. I know he and Jackson are buddies, and I'm sure the suits love Raimi.

    Bosh
    "A fell wind blows."
     
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