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MGM Officially For Sale

Ross Miller — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:23:59 +0000

Back in September we reported on the financial troubles of movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (or MGM for short). The studio has racked up a debt of a whopping $3.5 billion (yowza!) and, at the time, it was, “teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.” The company has two big properties currently in its possession, those being the Bond franchise and the upcoming Hobbit adaptation.

Luckily, but not surprisingly, both those properties are quite safe, with Warner Bros. stepping in to foot the bill for production on The Hobbit, while also handling domestic distribution for the film (which will be split into two parts). As I said, no surprise there that the two franchises are safe (guaranteed box office bank if ever there were any), but it was nice for that to be made official.

However, specific film properties aside, the trouble for MGM at large is that it was possibly going to auction of its assets. And now, only a couple of months later, we get word that’s exactly what’s happening. Variety reports that MGM has been given an extension until January 31st, 2010, from paying interest on their massive debts (which is the second time an extension has been granted, the first being until December 15th), and is going to be using that time to start, “a process to explore various strategic alternatives including operating as a standalone entity, forming strategic partnerships and evaluating a potential sale of the company.”

Sources close to MGM say that the studio’s investment bankers, Moelis and Co., are overseeing the sales process. However MGM’s current management will remain in place to take care of feature development and the general continuing of production. A statement issued on Friday from MGM reads:

“The lenders took this action in support of the company’s ongoing efforts to develop and evaluate long-term strategic alternatives to maximize value for its stakeholders… MGM appreciates the continued support of its lender group for the process it is undertaking.”

So what assets does MGM have to offer? Well, they include the likes of a 4,000-title library, the logo, the United Artists operations, rights to the James Bond franchise and half-ownership of the upcoming Hobbit films. You’d immediately think that other studios would be licking their lips right about now and you’d be right: Possible buyers include Time Warner, News. Corps (which owns 20th Century Fox) and Lionsgate (Get it? LIONsgate? MGM’s logo is a roaring lion… Okay, never mind…).

There was a rumor at the beginning of last month that the Bond franchise was maybe moving from MGM to Fox, but soon thereafter MGM contacted the guys over at Film School Rejects directly to let us all know that wasn’t the case. However, in light of this recent news, even though Bond won’t be moving studios, per se, if another studio snaps up MGM then the Bond franchise would by extension be owned by someone else.

Man, this whole MGM ordeal really is tossing and turning in a relatively short period of time, isn’t it?…

What do you think of MGM being officially for sale in light of their recent financial troubles? Which studio do you think will make the purchase?

Stay tuned for developments.

Source: Variety

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The Hobbit Casting Rumors

Rob Keyes — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:39:21 +0000

In their most recent edition of AICN-Downunder, Ain’t It Cool News included a small item which could be potentially big news for Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson’s upcoming films based on The Hobbit.

A project that’s been in development for a while and eagerly anticipated by a massive crowd of fans and moviegoers alike, The Hobbit has been engulfed in rumors when it comes to casting. So on that note, we have another possible rumor in the form of actor Brian Cox (X-Men 2, Troy, The Bourne Identity) being looked at by the producers as one of the thirteen dwarves in the adaptation.

This news comes on the heels of the John Rhys-Davies (Gimli from Lord of the Rings trilogy) interview with Empire where the talented actor flat out said he won’t be back to play the role of another dwarf, possibly Gimli’s father Gloin. I didn’t really understand why he would or why that would even come up, but Empire asked, and here was his response:

“I’ve already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t. I have already completely ruled it out. There’s a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more.”

There’s been no official casting as of yet but we know Sir Ian McKellen will be back as well as Andy Serkis to play Gollum / Smeagol. We also know that director Guillermo del Toro will be playing one of the monsters which is very cool to see.

As for Brian Cox, AICN reports that one of their reliable sources is leaking that Brian Cox is being looked at but is unsure of whether or not it’s a lock. Here’s the snippet from AICN’s post on the subject:

This is a news item I’d love to proclaim with all-out certainty, but my tried and trusted source(s) aren’t sure if this is a total lock, or whether it’s just someone they’re seriously interested in. Either way, producers of THE HOBBIT have begun looking at casting for the dwarves (dwarfs?), and one name has emerged as a major contender: Brian Cox. He’s a brilliant choice for the role: physically, he fits with the depiction of the the race in LOTR (well, Gimli), and he’s a born Scotsman. Also, he could yell at Galadriel for adding narration. So there you go. If this comes to fruition, you heard it here first!

Like I said, nothing’s been confirmed but it’s totally believable that Cox would be looked at to play one of the dwarves and I’m confident he’d do a fantastic job.

As for the big question of who will be playing Bilbo Baggins, McKellen revealed over the summer that the decision was made and he knew who it was. I expect some major casting announcements are not too far off.

We’ll let you know when we hear more.

What do you think of Brian Cox playing one of the Dwarves?

With Guillermo del Toro directing and Peter Jackson producing (the perfect people for the job), The Hobbit: Part 1 is scheduled to show off Middle-earth, December, 2011 and its sequel the following year.

Sources: AICN, Empire

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Guillermo del Toro Talks ‘Hobbit’ Monsters [Updated]

Scott Miller — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:09:42 +0000

[Update: Word is that del Toro himself will be playing a creature in the film!]

Guillermo del Toro (director of Hellboy and Blade II) dished to Total Film in a 10-page Q&A about his forthcoming movie adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. For those of you who somehow missed the phenomenon of Peter Jackson’s Lord of The Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit is a prequel to The Fellowship of the Ring (aka the first movie in LOTR), also written by Tolkien. There’s been some excitement around the question of what del Toro will do with the monsters in The Hobbit and he had this to say about the most anticipated beast in the bunch, Smaug, the dragon who sleeps on the vast treasure sought after by the film’s lead, Bilbo Baggins:

“I think one of the designs I’m the proudest of is Smaug. Obviously he took the longest. Early in production I came up with a very strong idea that would separate Smaug from every other dragon ever made. The problem was implementing that idea. But I think we’ve nailed it.”

Wow. Maybe he decided to film a real dragon. Who knows? He had this to say about other creatures in the film, specifically the Wargs, a species of wolf-monsters in Tolkien’s universe:

“In The Hobbit, the creatures speak: Smaug has beautiful lines of dialogue…many creatures do. So we had to design them with a different approach because you are not just designing things that are scary. I also wanted some of the monsters in The Hobbit to be majestic. I wanted the Wargs to have a certain beauty so that you don’t have a massively clear definition: what is beautiful is good and what is ugly is not. Some of the monsters are absolutely gorgeous.”

CLICK HERE for the entire interview (which goes into great detail and gives you a sense of the epic amount of work that a small army of design and production people have undertaken for this film). Or GO HERE for some Hobbit-related tidbits from Ian McKellan, who’ll be reprising his LOTR role of Gandalf.

The Hobbit follows Bilbo Baggins as he joins a band of dwarves hoping to retake a mountain that was once theirs and whose treasure is now guarded by the aforementioned dragon, Smaug. On the way, the group encounters all sorts of creatures looking to help or eat them. I’ll avoid going into further details so as not to SPOIL anything. While this description sounds a lot like another LOTR flick, del Toro stated the following about The Hobbit’s likeness to the previous films:

“All I can say is that we have an incredibly good team of people who know we are not making another Rings. We are not trying to make a quadrilogy, or a pentilogy. We’re tying to make two films that flow with those but that stand on their own completely.”

Update: del Toro left messages on the boards over at The One Ring Forums, letting fans know about the designs for the creature he himself will be playing in The Hobbit:

“I had a hand on the design of the creature and I will personally sculpt the appliances that will be applied on my face and hands. I used to sculpt the creatures for NECROPIA (my FX company) and I miss it a bit. I will have a line or two and die quickly.”

No word yet on what creature del Toro is playing – but don’t let that fact stop you guys from engaging in some wild speculation. It’s all in good fun.

Guillermo del Toro co-wrote the two-part script for The Hobbit (with help from Peter Jackson)and will direct both installments as well. He worked as a special makeup effects artist on Bandidos and a handful of other films, and I can’t imagine that’ll hurt the The Hobbit one bit. So, are you looking forward to a new take on Tolkien’s writing, or do you think LOTR was the type of thing that should be closely emulated?

The Hobbit will venture into theaters seeking our gold sometime in 2011.

Source: First Showing, Total Film

Update Source: The One Ring Forums via SlashFilm

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Ian McKellen Has Read The Hobbit Script

Ross Miller — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:18:25 +0000

Of all those involved in the upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit, Ian McKellen seems to be the most vocal. The last time he “spilled the beans” about the pre-Lord of the Rings adventure (along with him talking a little bit about the standalone Magneto movie), McKellen talked about when we could expect the script, which, he stated, would be “very soon.”

That was last month – fast forward a few weeks and it appears The Hobbit script has surfaced (or at least a draft of it) and lucky Sir McKellen has apparently had a read of it. However, it’s early days yet for the film (Part 1 doesn’t come out until the end of 2011), and sadly but not surprisingly, McKellen is staying tight-lipped about what’s in the script. Here’s what he told SciFiWire about it during an interview last week promoting AMC’s The Prisoner:

“As Peter [Jackson] has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for The Hobbit] because they knew who they were writing him for… There are a lot of characters in The Hobbit, including, crucially, Bilbo, and they don’t know who’s going to play Bilbo. So it’s extremely attractive that this part has been written for me. The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. There’s lots for me to enjoy, in all sorts of ways. And I couldn’t be happier. But I’m sworn to secrecy. I’m not to say anything at all about the script.”

It’s rather strange to hear McKellen say they don’t know who’s playing Bilbo yet when just a couple of months ago he said he knew who’d been cast as the titular Hobbit. Conflicting messages there…

I know, I know, you wanted to get some juicy info on what we can expect from The Hobbit, but as a consolation for McKellen not giving any script details away, he went on to tell SciFiWire what it was like getting the part of Gandalf:

“I can’t believe it’s 10 years for me… I remember being told by a friend in Hollywood that ‘your life is going to change,’ and it has. Gandalf is an extremely famous character, and I quite like having him around the corner. He’s very popular.”

And finally, as he did the last time he spoke about The Hobbit, McKellen talked more about Peter Jackson (who’s producing/writing) and Guillermo del Toro (who’s directing/writing) and how they work so well together:

“They are the same person… They were separated at birth. They’re twins. They have the same attitude. Neither likes working in Hollywood. They’re both fascinated by fantasy and violence on the screen, and gore, and things that frighten you. They like going into the psyche. They’re both brilliant storytellers in very much the same way. And I think the script, because I have read it, plays very much to Guillermo’s strengths, as I’ve seen them. I have seen his other movies, and people act very well in them. So I think it’s all fine. And Peter will always be there.”

Ah well, so we haven’t found out how long the film is, at which point it will split (it’s being done in two parts, remember), and just how close it will adhere to J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic book. But at the very least we know a draft of the script has been turned in, and it’s starting to be shown to the principal names involved with the movie. I’m going to guess it won’t be the final shooting script (when does a script ever get the go-ahead on the first draft?), and what McKellen has read won’t be exactly what gets put on-screen.

I just hope this small progression will lead us to finding out one of the absolute pivotal, make-or-break aspects of The Hobbit adaptation: who is playing Bilbo. David Tennant, Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy’s names are amongst the few that have been thrown out as possibilities. Personally, I’d love to see McAvoy take on the role – I think he’d fit very well as a young Bilbo.

What do you think of the latest update from Ian McKellen? Do you think we will learn who is being cast as Bilbo soon? Who would you like to see play the part?

Part 1 of The Hobbit opens in theaters in December 2011, with Part 2 following a year later in December, 2012.

Source: SciFiWire

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Ian McKellen Talks The Hobbit & Magneto

Ross Miller — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:31:47 +0000

Are you a fan of Ian McKellen’s portrayals of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings movies and of Magneto in the X-Men franchise? Thought so. Well, you’re in luck on both counts!

The guys over at Empire got a chance to talk to the legendary Mr. McKellen at the San Sebastian Film Festival (where he spoke to Rotten Tomatoes the last time he talked about Gandalf) and he gave some more tidbits of info on the status of the LOTR prequel, The Hobbit, and of the planned X-Men solo spinoff movie, X-Men Origins: Magneto.

The Hobbit

We’ve known for some time that McKellen will be returning to portray Gandalf in Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of the pre-LOTR book, The Hobbit. And ever since then, McKellen has been feeding us little bits of info and opinions on his reprising of the role – and we’ve happily been nibbling at them like the movie news-hungry fans we are. Adding to that, Empire spoke to the wizard again recently, in which he gave some rather forthright answers:

On the status of the The Hobbit at this point, here’s what McKellen said:

“The scripts for the two films will be delivered very soon… Then they’ll be budgeted, and then they’ll be cast. And they’ll be going when they’ve always said they would be, which is next spring – March or April.”

That got him onto talking about how he finds del Toro and Jackson as filmmakers:

“Guillermo even told me at one point, ‘We’re going to film for 383 days.’ He’s got that artistic autism! Jackson’s the same; they’re very, very, very alike. They also very different, but they’ve so much in common. They both can’t stand Hollywood and have wonderful imaginations, and they’re both obsessed with gore and fantasy. Both of them laugh a great deal. Guillermo’s one of the most brilliant men I’ve ever met. His English vocabulary is way superior to mine!”

It really sounds like del Toro and Jackson are as good to work alongside as it is watching their final products… Moving on from his opinions of the director and producer of The Hobbit, McKellen laid down a pretty disappointing piece of info for those hoping we would see some of the characters from LOTR make appearances/cameos in The Hobbit:

“Unfortunately, there won’t be many of the actors going back… unless they’re going to put masks on and be disguised as dwarves! Andy Serkis is, at the moment, I think, the only other actor who’s doing this film.”

Of course, McKellen isn’t del Toro, Jackson or anyone else truly “in the know” about what the ins-and-outs of the story is, what characters are returning and so forth… but I would trust his judgment at this point (even though he failed to mention Hugo Weaving returning as Lord Elrond). I wouldn’t totally rule out cameos from known and loved LOTR characters, but I’m certainly not expecting them (or at least, as many of them as people are hoping for).

Continue reading about Ian McKellen’s role as Magneto…

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Poster Friday: New Moon, Caprica, The Crazies & More!

Rob Keyes — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:07:42 +0000

Happy Friday everyone! For our first Friday of October 2009, we’ve again gathered the latest posters to come out for this week’s poster round-up.

Screen Rant’s wall this week now includes new one-sheets for The Princess and the Frog, Caprica, The Crazies, The Mechanic, Stone, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Saw VI, The Twilight Saga’s New Moon and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant.

In addition to that we have two bonus posters from two major upcoming films that you need to check out! Also, there’s some very creative road sign parody posters of classic films, as well as some older and strange looking posters from Ghana.

Let’s get to it.

To start, here’s another new poster for The Princess and the Frog that looks nearly identical to last week’s The Princess and the Frog poster except for the blue background. Again, note the classic and beautifully hand-drawn art for Disney’s next addition to its 2D library:

Source: IGN

The Princess and the Frog opens December 11, 2009.

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MGM On The Edge of Bankruptcy [Updated]

Ross Miller — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:09:06 +0000

[Update: Just as we thought, MGM's Financial backers are pitching in to save The Hobbit]

One of the biggest and most well-known movie studios out there is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM, known for its classic logo with the lion roaring during the opening credits – an almost expected introduction to many of our movies from the last 85 years.

Well, we may have to get used to some movies without that logo at some point in the near future (at least for a while), as today we get word of very complex financial problems occurring at MGM, which basically boils down to the studio, “teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.”

Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood is reporting a very long conference call (or series of calls that some sources say lasted for six and a half hours) took place between the studio and bondholders, in which the studio made a “desperate plea for money because the studio had missed its numbers and was going to be out of funds very soon.” The bondholders were said to be, “very loud…very upset… [and] irate.” MGM reportedly asked for a combined amount of $170 million, $20 million as short-term cash flow to cover overheads, and a further $150 million to continue funding upcoming projects, including Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.

I smell trouble…

MGM has debt of a whopping $3.5 billion, with some saying the company will only sell for half of that at auction (less than 50 cents on the dollar). Nikki Finke reports that the bondholders said to MGM, in essence, “that they were going to let the studio go bankrupt and collect their money since they’d be first in line to get paid.” However, a restructure specialist says that would be pretty much the worst thing to do, since MGM is what the Bond franchise currently calls home, not to mention they are co-funding the highly-anticipated Hobbit film(s).

So what would it mean for The Hobbit and 007? Well, word is that the studio doesn’t think that it could stay alive if it lost the Bond franchise. If Bond did leave MGM, that would mean the franchise having to find a new home. For The Hobbit, MGM’s bankruptcy could mean delays (since it’s co-financing and distributing the film(s) outside of the U.S.). If and when the dust settles, in might all work out okay (we can always hope…) – but that likely means significant disruption to Bond and The Hobbit.

So what can be done about MGM’s dire financial situation? Well, you can read the full ins-and-outs of the whole thing over at Deadline Hollywood, but basically the studio has to formally ask its creditors to hold off interest on that little $3.5 billion debt they have until February 2010, and, of course, the lenders have to say yes. That way, the studio can use that money to fund projects, including Bond 23 and (I think it’s safe to say more importantly) The Hobbit. With regards to the latter, I’m sure another studio would step in to fund it (the project is pretty much a guaranteed money-maker – what moviegoer is NOT going to go see The Hobbit?), but delays would still be very likely, I’d think.

We’ll just have to wait and see how this whole situation turns out, but Nikki Finke’s sources say that they expect the creditors will go the restructuring route as opposed to bankrupting MGM’s. On our side of the fence, as moviegoers, I’m sure you’ll agree that’s the way it should go. Otherwise The Hobbit and the Bond franchise could be in for a rough time.

UPDATE: MGM CEO Steve Cooper was successful in his bid to get financial lenders – including J.P. Morgan – to go the restructuring route, in order to allow the studio enough financial resource and breathing room to proceed with production on The Hobbit. MGM’s partner on the project, Warner Bros., will step up to cover immediate production expenses on The Hobbit and will handle domestic distribution. MGM hopes to scrounge up the cash by deferring interest fees on their repayment for at least three months, would could net them a predicted $50 million.

For more extensive details on how MGM will bankroll The Hobbit, check out The Hollywood Reporter.

What are your thoughts on MGM’s possible bankruptcy? Let us know in the comments below.

Part 1 of The Hobbit has been set for a while to hit theaters in December, 2011, with Part 2 set to follow a year later in December, 2012.

A production and release date has yet to be set for Bond 23.

Hopefully there will be no delays as a result of this MGM situation, and those dates will remain.

Sources: Nikki Finke (DeadlineHollywood), FirstShowing and /Film

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Ian McKellen Talks Gandalf the Grey

Rob Keyes — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:49:24 +0000

Rotten Tomatoes had a chance to speak with the incredibly talented Sir Ian McKellan at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain yesterday, where the actor was receiving a special award for his career accomplishments.

They spoke about the reward and then McKellen turned the conversation to the inevitable topic of The Hobbit by saying “I don’t want to play Gandalf again.”

Uh oh…

Relax, folks. I had you going there, didn’t I? Well, in truth he did bring up the topic by saying exactly that – but what he was referring to, was the idea of typecasting and I don’t think that’s something he should be worried about.

“If you play a part that gets an awful lot of attention, forever after you’re being asked by directors to play the same part in their movie. But I played the best wizard, and I’m happy to revisit him, which I shall do in The Hobbit with Guillermo del Toro.”

McKellen where’s a massive awesome beard and a fake nose, he can’t be typecasted like that. He played Magneto in three straight movies in addition to LOTR and I never thought of Gandalf when seeing him on screen there as the master of magnetism. In fact, I want to see him in more movies for both the X-Men and Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit franchises.

As for the character he brought to live on screen, Ian much prefers the Grey variant than the wizard with shiny and clean clothes… and that perfectly white beard.

“Grey Gandalf is my favourite… Peter Jackson’s too, we always preferred Gandalf the Grey. Peter liked him because he got down and dirty. He slept in the hedgerows; he was closer to the earth and not quite so spiritual. He’s also funnier — he’s got more variety to him. We thought there was more scope in that Gandalf.”

I dig both Gandalfs, but they’re right about the Gandalf the Grey being more down to earth… get it?

Next, McKellen went on the explain the wide range of appeal for the character, especially amongst the youthful audiences.

“He appeals to really young people. Gandalf has 8 and 9-year-old fans who’ve seen his films a great deal more than I have. Their faces when they meet the actor who plays Gandalf are wonderful to behold, so that’s been special.”

And rightly so. Gandalf was played to perfection in the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy and I can’t explain how excited I am for more.

Are you psyched for more Gandalf the Grey?

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Header image edited from art by adorindil

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Disney & Guillermo del Toro Double Dare You

Ross Miller — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:43:01 +0000

Although we didn’t cover it here at Screen Rant (we thought we’d wait for the actual announcement), The Hobbit director, Guillermo del Toro, teased us with some big news (big at least for him) that was unrelated to The Hobbit. The clue he gave for fans to go on was the, “key letter D,” which led people to speculate that it was referring to several of the projects the director has in the works, including adaptations of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Drood.

However, at the D23 Disney Fan Expo, del Toro appeared through satellite video to make the announcement that he and Disney are teaming up to launch a new animation studio call Disney Double Dare You, which aims to make new animated films, “full of chills and thrills for audiences of all ages.” Del Toro will produce all (all?!) of the films, and even direct some of them. Del Toro had this to say:

“As a director, I love to take audiences into fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the process… It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling, unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films.”

The first Double Dare You animation is said to be called Trollhunters, which is (unsurprisingly, considering the director we’re talking about) based on work by the Mexican filmmaker. A rather bold detail was mentioned/claimed by the man himself: that all of the pics will be linked together, “by one feature that shall remain secret, but that you shall soon be very familiar with.” Does he mean The Hobbit? I can’t imagine an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s book somehow tying together a set of dark animated films from Disney, can you?

Although Double Dare You will take Disney in a new direction, the emphasis is still said to be on “fun.” The new studio will not only produce movies, but also create books and other tie-in merchandise (well, it is Disney we’re talking about). You can head over to /Film for the full press release.

Guillermo del Toro hard at work.

When del Toro teased us with the forthcoming “D” announcement, he mentioned that we had not to worry because apparently he has been working on it (what we now know is Double Dare You) for over two years and it will NOT impede on his Hobbit duties. That’s obviously a great thing to hear, not that I was even worried in the first place – del Toro is a tremendously gifted and hard-working filmmaker, and I’m sure The Hobbit is first on his mind at the moment.

However, as I’ve said before, it’s hard to work out just where del Toro finds the time to juggle all of these projects he has in the pipeline for himself. Just as a reminder, not only does he have The Hobbit and now Double Dare You, but also three adaptations in the cards – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Drood and Slaughterhouse-Five – and a supposed “pet project” called At the Mountain of Madness (which, last we heard, Universal were hoping to pin him down for). Added to that, there’s also his (trilogy of) vampire novels, The Strain. Adding all of this stuff up, and it appears del Toro is booked solid until at least 2017 – a busy man, indeed.

Oh, and less then two weeks ago, del Toro was also reported to be producing the upcoming adaptation of DC Comics character, Deadman.

I’m a huge fan of del Toro (who isn’t?) and I’m very much look forward to what he and Disney will bring us with Double Dare You. If anyone is to take The Mouse House in a darker direction, it’s the imaginative, Mr. del Toro.

What do you think of del Toro partnering up with Disney to launch a new animation studio? Does a darker type of animation from Disney sound appealing to you (keeping in mind it’s del Toro who’s also involved)?

Sources: Variety, TheOneRing.net and /Film

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Great News For The Hobbit: LOTR Lawsuit Finally Settled

Ross Miller — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:18:09 +0000

Today we have some great news for those looking forward to the upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit (and who isn’t?): the project can officially go ahead as the Lord of the Rings lawsuit filed long ago by the Tolkien estate has now been settled.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that New Line Cinema, publisher Harper Collins and the Tolkien estate have come to an agreement in the lawsuit over profits from the three Lord of the Rings films. The quick overview of what the lawsuit was about is as follows: the Tolkien estate sued New Line for damages of at least $150 million because the studio failed to pay the 7.5% of gross receipts that they were supposed to get from what the three LOTR movies made, which combined came to about $6 billion (yowza!).

The estate claimed that it hadn’t been paid “one penny” of what they were owed by the studio. They also had a problem with a lot of the studio’s claimed expenses, some of which included “advertising” payments to AOL, as well as money for production offices and facilities being used for other New Line projects. When the lawsuit was filed by the estate, they also requested a court order that would allow them to stop any productions New Line had planned which are based on any Tolkien works, including The Hobbit.

Although details of the settlement are being kept under wraps, Christopher Tolkien (J.R.R’s eldest son) had the following to say by way of a press release:

“The Trustees regret that legal action was necessary, but are glad that this dispute has been settled on satisfactory terms that will allow the Tolkien Trust properly to pursue its charitable objectives. The Trustees acknowledge that New Line may now proceed with its proposed films of ‘The Hobbit.’”

Warner Bros. President and COO, Alan Horn, had this to add:

“We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels to the success of our films and are pleased to have put this litigation behind us.”

The reason it’s important that the lawsuit has finally been settled is that even though The Hobbit was going into production (as far as we all knew), there may have come a time when the Tolkien estate had the right to terminate it. Just imagine that for a second: director Guillermo del Toro, along with Peter Jackson and whoever they put in place as the primary cast are all underway with production, and out of nowhere it gets shut down because of a lawsuit over (when it comes down to it) money.

Fan reaction would have been worse than if The Joker was recast for the next Batman movie…

Having said that, did anyone really think that the lawsuit wasn’t going to eventually be settled? The Hobbit is one of the most anticipated movies on the horizon (if not THE most anticipated), and is undoubtedly the biggest project that the studio has in the pipeline at the moment. Were they really going to let someone stand in their way if it was just a question of money?

Although, as stated, no details were made available about the settlement, it appears the studio has done the right thing, cut the Tolkien estate their precious (get it?) check and put it all behind them. And now so should we.

What do you think about the Lord of the Rings lawsuit finally being settled: Was the Tolkien estate right to want a court order that could’ve stopped The Hobbit because they weren’t paid what they were owed? Let us know in the comments below.

The Hobbit is now officially able to go ahead, with Part 1 scheduled for a December 2011 release, and Part 2 following a year later in December, 2012.

Source: THR

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Del Toro On The Hobbit In 3D, Casting Rumors And Avatar

Ross Miller — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:21:20 +0000

There have been a lot of rumors flying around about the upcoming Guillermo del Toro directed, Peter Jackson produced, two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic book, The Hobbit. Everything from casting rumors – Daniel Radcliffe, David Tennant or James McAvoy to play Bilbo? – to word of a third, “bridge” movie being made the would link the two Hobbit films to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Just as quick as these rumors surface, del Toro himself has been there to dispel them. And that has happened again recently when rumors surfaced that The Hobbit would be in 3D. By way of TheOneRing.net’s forum, del Toro himself has let fans know just what is true and what isn’t, including confirming who will be the Director of Photography for The Hobbit:

“As a co-writer and director of this film (who works with the design teams, costume teams, creature teams, VFX teams every day of the week), let me be very clear one more time: we are not talking about 3D, we are NOT writing the screenplay for 3D right now- we are hiring my DoP Guillermo Navarro to shoot the film and we are not discussing 3D with him either or with WETA digital or WB or anyone else. That should be a little less sidestepping, I hope.

If after AVATAR the market may change and demands are put upon us, etc that is in the future. But if such things happen and we start discussing 3D down the line, I’ll let it be know here at TORN because that’s the proper way of doing things. But make no mistake- I’ve been living in NZ for almost a year now and we have not been discussing 3D. When we do, I’ll make sure your source finds out. Thank You, Guillermo.”

On top of labeling the 3D rumors as untrue, del Toro also popped into another part of the forum to deny certain casting rumors that have been floating around (Tom Cruise has even been rumored as a possible Bilbo Baggins, after he made a trip to New Zealand for a meeting with del Toro recently), as well as giving his thoughts (read: praise) about James Cameron’s Avatar:

“…is dead-on about the imminent conversion of film into an expanding 3-D field – at least in most blockbusters and I know of, at least, 4 or 5 major filmmakers preparing 3D films right now. Some of them seriously artistic and ungimmicky!! I’ve seen AVATAR and I was absolutely blow away by it!! I myself expect to explore 3D soon enough- it is the future, just not my immediate future. And no- neither David Tennant nor Tom Cruise are Bilbo and we are not redesigning Gollum.”

I notice that del Toro leaves Mr. McAvoy out of the discussion. Is it a sign that the actor is in the running, or did it simply slip his mind? Interesting…

Will James McAvoy play Bilbo Baggins?

I’m really glad that the 3D rumors about The Hobbit have turned out untrue (keeping in line with most of the other rumors about the project). When 3D is used right (i.e. in a non-gimmicky way), it can totally immerse you in the world of the movie, and I’m sure if it WERE to be employed for The Hobbit, that’s exactly what would happen. But I would like these movies to be a proper prequel to the Lord of the Rings series, shot in the same format (and yes, I realize 3D movies can be seen in 2D as well, but the shooting style is often still “3D gimmicky”).

It’s interesting to note that Guillermo Navarro is going to be the Director of Photography for The Hobbit, which will give it a bit of a different look and feel to the LOTR trilogy (which had Andrew Lesnie as the Cinematographer). Navarro has worked with del Toro since the start of his feature-length filmmaking career with Cronos, and has worked on other such projects as Jackie Brown, Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn and Spawn.

The script for The Hobbit Parts 1 and 2 is still being worked on, and we’re a long way away from the actual release (well over 2 years), so the amount of rumors and speculation is not only understandable (because of the anticipation for it) but inevitable. Until we get a bit closer to the finished product, we can expect even more of these rumors, and it’s nice to see the director taking time out of his hectic schedule to keep us informed.

What do you think about what del Toro has said? Are you glad The Hobbit movies won’t be in 3D?

Part 1 of The Hobbit is scheduled to hit theaters in December, 2011, with Part 2 following a year later in December, 2012.

Sources: TheOneRing.net and /Film

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Who’s Playing Bilbo Baggins? Ian McKellen Knows

Rob Keyes — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:00:15 +0000

On Saturday, London’s BFI IMAX cinema ran a Lord of the Rings marathon presented by Sir Ian McKellen, where they played the extended editions of the entire trilogy.

Gandalf (also known as Magneto for us X-fans) spoke briefly to introduce the films and revealed that he knows something everyone else is dying to know: who’s playing Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit?

According to /Film’s report, McKellen confirmed that he’s back to play Gandalf (an absolute must) and that Bilbo has finally been cast for The Hobbit films. He knows who was chosen and signed for the role and says that fans will be very happy with the selection.

Who is it?!

We don’t know yet, but we will very soon no doubt. At the District 9 presentation during San Diego Comic-Con, Peter Jackson started the presentation by clearing up the rampant Hobbit casting rumors at the time and spoke about the timing of the script completion and the budget talks that would precede any offers to actors. Obviously, that’s all said and done now so we can expect some official announcements soon.

Upon hearing this from McKellen, James McAvoy’s name was mentioned frequently in the audience’s rumblings at BFI IMAX cinema. However, McAvoy may not be such a clear choice due to his schedule, having signed on for Wanted 2, and more recently, I’m With Cancer, among other projects he’s in talks for.

According to Daniel Radcliffe, another highly rumored candidate, it’s not him either. So, who do you think snagged the role?

Are you excited as me for The Hobbit?

Part 1 of Peter Jackson’s and Guillermo del Toro’s The Hobbit is set to begin filming next March according to McKellen, and he’ll be getting a script for it in the next week or two.

Check back soon for more updates from Screen Rant on The Hobbit!

Source: /Film

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Hobbit Rumors Debunked: No Trilogy or Radcliffe

Ross Miller — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:33:23 +0000

Along with the previous casting rumors of who will play the titular character in Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit, we also recently had a rumor floating around saying that The Hobbit would be split into three movies. Today, however, we have news that debunks one of the rumors, and at least part of the other.

The latest Hobbit rumors pertain to the casting of Bilbo Baggins, which we last heard was a three-man race between Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), David Tennant (Doctor Who) and James McAvoy (Wanted). Courtesy of the LA Times’ Hero Complex (as well as the actor himself), we now know that Daniel Radcliffe will NOT be starring in The Hobbit as Bilbo Baggins (or anyone else for that matter). Here’s a quote from the actor:

“I’d have to say, ‘Thanks but no thanks,’ not that anyone has asked me… Honestly, I don’t think they would want me anyway, it’s just too close. Whatever I do next, I don’t think there will be any wizards in it!”

I’m very glad to hear that Radcliffe’s name has been officially crossed off the list of Baggins candidates, for the very same reason the actor himself cites. The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings universe is too similar to the vein of Harry Potter movies, which Radcliffe is still very much associated with (do you think will he ever be able to shake that image off?). On top of that, I also don’t think Radcliffe is right for the role of Bilbo, and I would much rather see either of the other rumored actors, McAvoy or Tennant, get the role.

Who should replace Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins?

Then there was this latest rumor (which comes from MarketSaw) about The Hobbit being cut into three movies instead of the two films it was previously confirmed to be. According to the rumor, the The Hobbit is going to be split into two parts with a third movie serving as a bridge between The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here’s a quote from Market Saw’s source:

“I’m hearing word “and its only speculation at the moment”, that it wont be two films. It will be three. The two parts and the bridge movie. Word alone is not trustworthy. However I hear this from lots of people. And have seen things to indicate this may be the way it is heading. Del Toro on Hobbit duty, Jackson on the bridge project. Time will tell.”

The rumor also states that del Toro would still direct the two Hobbit movies, with Peter Jackson himself directing the “bridge movie.” However, after deciding to e-mail del Toro outright to check the validity of these rumors, Latino Review got a reply from the director himself that debunks them. Del Toro says that all of it is speculation, with some of it being, “quite wild and inventive.”

Market Saw also has some info – which may be true or not – on the characters of The Hobbit book being darker in the movie version. We’ll just have to speculate as to how much darker they will be – that’s if the info turns out true, of course.

When The Hobbit was first announced, the rumor was that the structure of the two movies would be one Hobbit movie and one bridge movie. That rumor turned out to be untrue and now this one looks to be untrue as well. It would have been nice, in a way, if there WAS some kind of “bridge movie” so that we could see some of the characters and actors from LOTR make a return to the big-screen. However, I’m still happy with the way they seem to be going with the project.

It’s inevitable these sort of rumors come up – particularly with a high-profile project like The Hobbit. I’m guessing that we’ll be seeing (and shooting down) lots more of these rumors over the next couple of years.

The first film of The Hobbit is set to hit theaters in December, 2011, with the second following a year later in December, 2012.

Sources: MarketSaw, LA Times’ Hero Complex and Latino Review

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District 9 Has Big Presence At Comic-Con

Rob Keyes — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:17:52 +0000

A select few people and some who were lucky enough to win tickets had a chance to screen the film, District 9 on Thursday night. I was not one of them.

District 9 has been something I’ve been following closely for a while now, since tidbits of information about it started appearing online about the movie whose creative team was originally supposed to bring us the Halo film adaptation of the super-successful video game franchise.

As the second segment of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s panel (the first segment being a panel on Legion), we were introduced to the amazing Peter Jackson who is making his first ever appearance at Comic-Con.

The first thing he did when coming out on stage was start a lengthy discussion to update us on the status on The Hobbit and to explain in detail where they are in the process, that they have no announcements and why, and to end the rampant rumors and speculation online. He said in about two months once the script and budget have been sorted out, they will be able to start making offers to actors.

Joining Peter Jackson on stage were writer/director Neill Blomkamp and lead actor Sharlto Copley. It’s important to note that this is Sharlto’s first time in a feature film lead actor role. From everything we’ve seen, he’s done an incredible job. Expect a bright future for this actor.

Without wasting any time, once the panel members were introduced, they went moved straight into showing the crowd seven minutes of never-before-seen footage (to those who hadn’t seen the special screening the night before, that is…).

It started, but the trailer for Legion from the first half of the Sony presentation came up instead, and they quickly stopped it. The crowd laughed and cheered and the director played it off saying that’s all the footage they had. As they queued up the correct reel to show us, they took the time to talk to Jackson about the canceled Halo project.

Panel Members: Peter Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Niell Blomkamp [Click to Enlarge]

After a few minutes, we were ready for another try and we watched the seven minutes of footage. In short, it was incredible. It included many scenes we didn’t expect and knew nothing about and it looked beautiful. It makes absolutely no sense that this movie was made on a $30 million budget because it is loaded with insanely realistic and awesome special effects.

After the footage played, the host began the discussion by asking director Blomkamp what made him decide to do this film in the pseudo-doc style that he did. He responded:

“I think the main reason for wanting to do that is because I really like the idea of science fiction that feels real and because I like sci-fi so much and I knew I wanted to make a science fiction film.

I wanted to see it in a way that felt as realistic and grounded as possible. So, in order to do that I thought using some sort of real life footage, whether it’s news footage or handheld documentary filmmaking or security cameras – as much real stuff that we associate as the real real media world and not film-making would help ground it and make it feel real.”

Other questions involved the insect design of the aliens which was inspired by the idea that these aliens are drones who are lost, as they have lost their queen of sorts. Because of the nature of that, they ended up with the insect design which I think works perfectly as something nontraditional, realistic and more believable.

As for the budget, Peter Jackson explains that with a large studio budget you lose your freedom of creativity. With an inflated budget, you are restricted and forced to play it safe for a specific demographic. But with a low budget, you’re gearing it to those who truly care and others who join in the fun are a bonus and we get somethign unique.

The panel was great and Jackson, Copley and Blomkamp all spoke incredibly well. From what I’ve seen myself and from the unbelievably amazing reviews coming from the special screening Thursday night, this film is an must-see!

District 9 opens August 14, 2009 and you all need to see it.

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The Hobbit: Hobbiton Currently Under Construction

Rob Keyes — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:42:41 +0000

One ring to rule them all…

Are you excited to see the upcoming pair of movies set in Middle-Earth by Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson?

We still have a while to wait for the movies but we can at least take a peak at how production on The Hobbit is going. Similar to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, the crew is setting up shop early in Hobbiton to prepare the little part of the shire near Bag End in time to grow naturally for the beginning of principal photography.

The images come from the great LOTR fansite, TheOneRing.net, who have received the photos from one of their Ringer spies. Check them out [Click to Enlarge]:

For the full gallery, head over to the source linked below.

They did a fantastic job bringing this element of Middle-earth to life in Jackson’s trilogy so we can easily expect more of the same cinematic beauty this time around.

Hobbiton is the little area of the shire where our favorite little heroes live and where the stories of both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings begin and end.

I can’t wait for this pair of films and you couldn’t get better people in charge of bringing it to the big screen.

The Hobbit: Part 1 is scheduled to open in December, 2011 with Part 2 releasing one year later.

Source: TheOneRing.net

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Rumor: Radcliffe, Tennant, McAvoy – Who’s Your Hobbit?

Ross Miller — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:00:19 +0000

One of the big questions of Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson’s upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit is who will play the main character of Bilbo Baggins? We’ve already had the casting confirmations of Ian McKellen (as Gandalf), Andy Serkis (as Gollum/Smeagol) and Hugo Weaving (as Lord Elrond), but was their return really a surprise to anyone? The truly important casting is that of the titular Hobbit – and recently there’s been a few names floating around that might be possibilities to fill the role.

Los Angeles Time’s Hero Complex picked up on the rumor of three actors possibly up for the role of Bilbo Baggins: Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe, Doctor Who’s David Tennant and Wanted’s James McAvoy. If you’ve been keeping up with The Hobbit casting news, you may remember the latter was rumored a while back to be up for Bilbo (along with Jack Black – eek!) but that idea was quickly squashed. However, what Hero Complex reports is that he’s being rumored yet again.

Oh, how these rumors continue to rear their heads…

Radcliffe, as we all know, plays the famous Harry Potter (if don’t know that, what rock have you been hiding under?), and him being rumored for The Hobbit I think is inevitable. Not that it’s all that likely he’ll get the role though, as he’s already spent his entire teenage years starring in one fantasy franchise, and as it comes to a close next year with the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I doubt he’ll want to commit to another fantasy franchise for a long time. Besides, Radcliffe has already expressed his interest in concentrating on smaller roles (most likely to prove he’s not a one-spell wizard), so I’d be very surprised if he wound up getting The Hobbit gig.

The most likely of the three to play Bilbo is Doctor Who himself, David Tennant. Peter Jackson is making an appearance at Comic Con next week, which has already led to speculation that a casting announcement for The Hobbit will happen there. And who just so happens to be making his first-ever appearance at Comic-Con this year? Why none other than David Tennant, who’s supposedly there to promote Doctor Who. But when you consider that Tennant’s run as Doctor Who is coming to an end soon, could this mean he and Jackson will be making a little announcement? UPDATE: Peter Jackson has confirmed that he WON’T be announcing casting at Comic-Con next week, they haven’t made any decisions yet (Thanks to SR reader “Joshi” and Empire Online).

The elder version of Bilbo Baggins, played by Ian Holm in Lord of The Rings.

If it is to be one of these three actors (which, remember, it could very well not be) who snags the role of Bilbo Baggins, I’d put my money on Tennant. If I could have my personal pick of who I’d like to play Bilbo, I’d take McAvoy, but Tennant would nonetheless be a fine choice in my book.

Who’s your Hobbit – Daniel Radcliffe, David Tennant, James McAvoy? Or is it someone else entirely? Let us know!

The first intallment of The Hobbit is slated to be released in December, 2011, and the second in December, 2012.

Sources: Hero Complex (thanks to FilmSchoolRejects and /Film)

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Doug Jones Talks Frankenstein, The Hobbit, & Hellboy 3

Rob Frappier — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:18:39 +0000

Judging from their work together on Hellboy, Hellboy 2, and Pan’s Labyrinth, when director Guillermo del Toro gets together with actor Doug Jones, good things usually happen. So, naturally, in casting his many upcoming projects, Del Toro has turned to the highly talented Jones again. In an interview with SCI FI Wire, Jones spoke about his involvement in Del Toro’s upcoming films, Frankenstein, The Hobbit, and possibly Hellboy 3.

I’ve excerpted some of the best parts of the interview below, but make sure to check out the full interview, which is linked at the bottom of the page.

On Frankenstein:

“Guillermo did say to the press that he’s already cast me as his monster, but we’ve yet to talk about it. But in his mind, if that’s what he’s decided, then it’s done…It would be a dream come true.”

On The Hobbit:

“We have not had any conversations about what he wants…I don’t know what I’m doing or how many characters it will be, because he tends to like to use me the whole time depending.”

Doug Jones as Abe Sapien in Hellboy

On Hellboy 3:

“It’s just a matter of time, and…if Ron Perlman wants to don the makeup again…If there is a Hellboy 3, Doug Jones will be in it.”

It will be great to see Jones and del Toro team up again. I loved his work as The Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth and can’t wait to see what role he’ll end up playing in The Hobbit. Although he is known for taking on roles as non-human characters, it is unfair to pigeonhole him as a “monster movie actor.” Jones brings such depth to each of his characters that you don’t even think about the heavy makeup. In this regard, Jones reminds me of the great Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, two actors whom he greatly admires.

Are you looking forward to seeing Doug Jones take over the reins of Frankenstein’s monster? Who do you think he’ll end up playing in The Hobbit? What’s your favorite Doug Jones role?

The first chapter of The Hobbit is due out in December, 2011 and the second chapter in December, 2012. Frankenstein will enter pre-production this summer, but, according to Guillermo del Toro, won’t begin filming for about five years(!). There are no production dates set for Hellboy 3, but del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola have worked out a potential story.

Source: SCI FI Wire

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Peter Jackson To Shoot Films In 3D From Now On

Ross Miller — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:01:20 +0000

You can now add Peter Jackson to the 3D bandwagon. In talking with MarketSaw, 3ality Digital Systems CEO Steve Schklair said that Jackson will be shooting all of his (directed) films in 3D from now on, using the technologies of Schklair’s 3ality company to do so.

Schklair said the following about the Lord of the Rings director with regards to 3D:

“..We were recently down in New Zealand with Peter Jackson, who is committing to shooting his films in 3D, and will be working with our rigs and technology to do so.”

Schklair went on to say that he thinks Jackson’s decision to shoot his movies in 3D will be a big boost for the advancement of 3D technology as a prominent way of viewing movies:

“I think this is big news for the industry because we are all pushing to get theaters built. Some theater owners are on the fence, asking, ‘If we do jump [into 3D], is there enough content?’ And having guys like Peter Jackson jump in and say things like “I’ll be making all my movies in 3D” is a great vote of confidence for the theater owners who are thinking about making the investment.”

As Alex Billington over at First Showing points out, there is currently a predicament with 3D movies in that a lot of movie theaters don’t want to convert to 3D because there simply aren’t enough 3D movies out there yet. And at the same time a lot of directors don’t want to shoot movies in 3D because there aren’t enough movie theaters properly equipped yet. But with Jackson joining James Cameron (and others) on the list of people shooting in 3D, it seems that will become much less of a problem sooner rather than later.

I’ve made it no secret that I think for the most part 3D is a gimmick and the novelty of wears off very quickly. Only in movies where the technology is applied subtly and in the right places (such as in Pixar’s latest film Up) does it work. But most 3D movies just use the technology very blatantly, shoving images down the audience’s collective throat more frequently than you can count as they appear to come out of the screen towards them. If Jackson is going to use 3D in all of his movies, I really hope he applies it with great precision and doesn’t just use it all the time just for the sake of it.

Jackson currently has his drama/horror/thriller The Lovely Bones lined up as director, but I wouldn’t hold my breath to see it in 3D (not least because it’s already in post-production). But beyond that Jackson has the sequel to Tintin (if it gets greenlit), so unless anything else gets announced (he’s producing The Hobbit, not directing it), Tintin 2 will be his first 3D movie. And going by this news, it certainly wouldn’t be his last.

What do you think about Peter Jackson apparently going to be filming all of his movies in 3D? Do you think the technology is a gimmick or an effective way of watching movies?

Sources: MarketSaw and FirstShowing

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Guillermo del Toro: The Hobbit Casting Confirmations & More!

Rob Keyes — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:01:37 +0000

In unsurprising but awesome news, busy man Guillermo del Toro confirmed today some of what most fans have been expecting for a long time in regards to some role reprisals in The Hobbit by a few of our favorite actors and characters from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

According to del Toro in a BBC Radio interview with regards to The Hobbit, Hugo Weaving will again be playing Lord Elrond, Sir Ian McKellen will be back as our favorite bearded wizard, Gandalf the Grey, and last but not least, the talented Andy Serkis will be back as Gollum.

Last week, del Toro revealed that they’ve narrowed down the candidates of who will play Bilbo Baggins to just one and that we’d likely be hearing about that soon. With these casting confirmations today, and updates of the movie popping up seemingly on a weekly basis, I expect we’ll find out who our little Hobbit will be fairly soon, or at the very latest, at San Diego Comic Con next month.

The BBC Radio interview didn’t just focus on who’s playing who though, del Toro also again talked about how the films will be split up with no ‘bridge’ film, and what they’ll focus on (which we reported on last week):

“There is a whole other chapter, so to speak, which is the comings and going of Gandalf which are dealt with, people that know the lore know that Gandalf was delayed with a crisis… with a character that is very shady called the Necromancer that proves to be Sauron.”

Another tidbit of info del Toro revealed is that after eight months of working on the design for Smaug the dragon, they’ve just hit on the basics of his engineering and it’ll be probably another half a year at least, before they’re able to show him off in detail.

Guillermo’s conversation with host Simon Mayo also touched on a few of his many projects listed in development. Here are some of the key points:

Hellboy 3 is unlikely due to Ron Perlman being averse to wearing the prosthetics again.
He’ll be producing, not directing, Jekyll and Hyde
He’ll be directing Frankenstein and his one of his go-to guys, Doug Jones, will play the monster.
Blade 4 with Wesley Snipes won’t happen because of legal issues between Snipes and New Line, so del Toro won’t be directing it.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more updates on The Hobbit and Guillermo del Toro’s many other projects.

What do you think of these updates and are you excited to see some familiar faces returning to The Hobbit?

The first of The Hobbit films is due out in December, 2011 and the second in December, 2012.

Sources: /Film, MTV

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The Hobbit Updates: Bridge Film & Bilbo Baggins

Rob Keyes — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:52:50 +0000

Today we have a pair of updates for the eagerly anticipated additions to the Middle Earth film franchise: The Hobbit (parts 1 and 2). Guillermo del Toro spoke this week about casting the lead character, Bilbo Baggins and about the hot topic of the “bridge” film that would tie this movies into Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It appears that MTV has a strong relationship with Guillermo del Toro as they seemingly talk with him every week or two about his upcoming projects. Some key news items that broke this way over the months include back in January where Dominic Monaghan and Viggo Mortensen spoke about The Hobbit films and both showed interest in making returns to the franchise if there were some opportunity to do so. Dominic also went as far as to say that the filmmakers want them back and that it’s a strong possibility.

Months later, Jackson and del Toro confirmed that The Hobbit would be spread over two separate films and that when it’s all said and done, you could sit down and watch all the films together as a well-flowing pentology. They were working out the script with the team and things were looking good.

Fast forward to now and we have two new updates from the last two days. The first is that del Toro is very close to announcing who will be playing the lead in the movies. Awesome, right? Back at the Sundance film festival in January, he had revealed there were four candidates at that time and now he has apparently narrowed that down to just one and we can expect the announcement soon.

Some rumors online for the role include James McAvoy and Ewan McGregor. I think either would work and I like the idea of McAvoy as a hobbit.

Continue to Page 2 for more news on The Hobbit…

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