Official The Hobbit thread

[matrix_ghost]

Why need a 3d hobbit rings how it was is fine in my view. Just because it works for Cameron and sci-fi does not mean all films need to desperately use it.

I disagree. A movie like Hobbit ( or for that matter any property with fantasy elements such as Potter or Pan's Labyrinth) would benefit from 3d because it really makes the viewer enjoy the world more.

Edit :
And expanding on what dark_b said.
PJ is also looking at early tests to convert the LOTR movies in 3d. Just like Cameron is doing the same thing with Titanic

 

[Boom]

I have to ask. Is a Winter 2011 release even feasible at this point?

1) New Line is in the process of changing ownership and being integrated into Warner Brothers.
2) The issue at MGM still hasn't been resolved. They recently put their library up for bidding, which I assume includes their share to "The Hobbit." But once those rights are purchased, WB would then have to negotiate with the buyer to co-finance the films (unless WB ends up being the ones who purchase MGM's "Hobbit" rights. I believe Time Warner was among the bidders).
3) GDT and PJ still haven't turned in a final draft for the second film. And until the studio has both scripts in hand, they cannot budget the project. And without a budget, they cannot greenlight the project.

All of this has to be resolved before the project can even be given the go-ahead. And even when it does, they still have to go through the process of casting, which may or may not be complicated by scheduling issues with several of the actors.

Let's say all of this gets resolved within four months, and principal photography gets underway in June (as planned). It's a 14-month shoot, so that would only leave three to four months of post-production work. Is that realistically enough time for a movie of this scale?

 

[matrix_ghost]

I have to ask. Is a Winter 2011 release even feasible at this point?
Short Answer : NO

1) New Line is in the process of changing ownership and being integrated into Warner Brothers.
Not an issue. The New Line integration has been going on longer. When it was announced that Hobbit was going forward , WB was quoted in the press release.
2) The issue at MGM still hasn't been resolved. They recently put their library up for bidding, which I assume includes their share to "The Hobbit." But once those rights are purchased, WB would then have to negotiate with the buyer to co-finance the films (unless WB ends up being the ones who purchase MGM's "Hobbit" rights. I believe Time Warner was among the bidders).
True and i think this is the primary reasons why everything is currently delayed. You are right in saying that WB would potentally have to renegotiate if someone else bought the right. However given the financial stakes , don't be surprised if WB or Legendary ( who also hae a succesful relationship with WB) ends up with the rights.
3) GDT and PJ still haven't turned in a final draft for the second film. And until the studio has both scripts in hand, they cannot budget the project. And without a budget, they cannot greenlight the project.

All of this has to be resolved before the project can even be given the go-ahead. And even when it does, they still have to go through the process of casting, which may or may not be complicated by scheduling issues with several of the actors.

Let's say all of this gets resolved within four months, and principal photography gets underway in June (as planned). It's a 14-month shoot, so that would only leave three to four months of post-production work. Is that realistically enough time for a movie of this scale?

There could be another way of finishing the movie. It's a stretch but it has been done succesfully in the past. Guillermo would have to shoot all the VFX heavy shots of the first movie first and turn them over to WETA . Post. prod on the first movie would continue while Guillermo was shooting the 2nd movie then. However it has big disadvantages.
1 THere is no room for error. Guillermo has to get his shots right as soon as possible. It would cause a massive problem if he were to edit scenes late in post. and suddenly see that the shot needed to be redone

2 Ditto with WETA who would also have one chance to finish the movie

3 With the original planning Guillermo would shoot the movies back-to-back however with this way of shooting he'd be shooting the 2nd movie and doing editing (and overseeing post) on the first movie. It can be done but you have to wonder what thay does to your health.

And finally WB is fastracking the Sherlock Holmes sequel. Given the fact the first Holmes was so succesful during the december period and that they have a pretty packed summer , it's safe to say that WB is going to release Holmes in december of next year.With the script done , it took WB a little longer then one year to shoot ,edit and release the first movie. And if i'm not mistaken WB had already commisioned a script when the first movie wasn't even out yet. They saw that the movie had excellent commercial prospects. And WB isn't going to let 2 of their blockbusters compete against each other. So I do think that WB Is going to push back Hobbit for another year

 

[Boom]

EDIT: Double Post. Read below.

 

[Boom]

NEWS Corp had shown interest in providing Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) with cash and help in restructuring debt to keep the studio independent, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

The nonbinding offer from News Corp, owner of the Twentieth Century Fox film studio, was outlined in a letter last week, said the person, who declined to be identified because the talks are private. The person would not disclose other terms.

MGM, maker of the James Bond movies, is evaluating preliminary bids from possible buyers as it struggles with 3,7bn in debt. News Corp’s Fox studio distributes DVDs for MGM. Chris Petrikin, a Fox spokesman, declined to comment.

The media investment firm Qualia Capital was separately offering MGM 500m to fund operations as part of a plan that also seeks to convert some debt to equity, another person with knowledge of the situation said on Saturday. In return, Qualia would receive an equity stake in MGM, said the person, who was not authorised to speak publicly.

MGM spokeswoman Susie Arons declined to comment.

News Corp signed a nondisclosure agreement with MGM on January 15, overcoming a month- long impasse and allowing it to proceed with an offer, said a person familiar with the decision.

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=92481


Okay, I'm really starting to get concerned. The second round of bidding is currently taking place at MGM, and is expected to last "several weeks." But now NewsCorp is potentially going to provide money to keep MGM on its feet a little while longer, which could ultimately delay the bidding process even further (and, effectively, the greenlight on the Hobbit films as well). NewsCorp has also thrown its name into the list of studios bidding over MGM's properties.

NewsCorp happens to be the owner of 20th Century Fox and, unless I am mistaken, they have Avatar 2 scheduled for a tentative 2012 release. Am I just being paranoid, or could this have a connection to Fox's interest in keeping MGM afloat?

Why do I have a sinking feeling that this project is going to collapse? Any experts want to chime in on this cluster**** of a situation?

 

[matrix_ghost]

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=92481


Okay, I'm really starting to get concerned. The second round of bidding is currently taking place at MGM, and is expected to last "several weeks." But now NewsCorp is potentially going to provide money to keep MGM on its feet a little while longer, which could ultimately delay the bidding process even further (and, effectively, the greenlight on the Hobbit films as well). NewsCorp has also thrown its name into the list of studios bidding over MGM's properties.

NewsCorp happens to be the owner of 20th Century Fox and, unless I am mistaken, they have Avatar 2 scheduled for a tentative 2012 release. Am I just being paranoid, or could this have a connection to Fox's interest in keeping MGM afloat?

Why do I have a sinking feeling that this project is going to collapse? Any experts want to chime in on this cluster**** of a situation?

2 things
1 YOu are mistaken
2 You are getting paranoid



YOur commen on Avatar's 2012 releae date is wrong. The date for the sequel isn't even set with some reliable sites saying ( though nothing is confirmed) that we will see an avatar sequel in 4 years time. Even Rupert Murdoch has said that we won't see an avatar sequel soon though there is definately immense pressure on cameron do start working on the sequel.
Movies like Avatar are so massive that even studios like WETA and ILM need a year to create all those VFX. Couple that with relative long shoot ( the mo-cap & live action shoot of avatar was , i think, a year long) and that would mean that Cameron would have to start work start shooting THIS YEAR.
And we all know that nothing is happening on that front. The script isn't even finalised.

So in short no avatar isn't going to be released in 2012.

Secondly there is definately a chance of a hobbit movie falling apart IF fox succeeds in buying MGM. Since they would be co-financing the hobbit with WB ,, there is definately a chance of them asking for rewrites .
On the other hand chances are pretty slim because the LOTR movies worked because they had the creative team of PJ , his wife , philippa boyens and the WETA guys . The same team is on board here as well so i think that Fox will just back off and let the movie be made. All they are doing is co-funing both movies and in return they'll get heaps of $$$.
Don't forget that PJ & Cameron has friends and Cameron may defend PJ is fox tries to screw with the project. Also i wouldn't count on Fox's involvement as definitive. Warner Bros , Lionsgate , Spyglass and other studios also have put up bids.

And finally Fox's primary interest in MGM is because of the Bond titles. They are distrubiting them.

 

[Boom]

Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes became the second media CEO in two days to pooh-pooh the value of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., a struggling studio that is up for sale.

MGM is in the second phase of selling itself through a bidding process. The studio has a 4,000-title movie and TV show library, as well as half the rights to two future movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit."

Time Warner Inc., which owns the other half of "The Hobbit" and released "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, has put in an initial nonbinding bid. Bewkes on Wednesday talked down MGM's value in what may be a negotiating tool.

Estimates put the value of MGM around $2 billion.

On Tuesday, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said he was being outbid for MGM and can be counted out, and that he also had no interest in buying Miramax Films from The Walt Disney Co.

QUESTION: Rupert said yesterday he was out of the MGM deal and had no interest in Miramax. Is Time Warner the one that drove them out and what your interest is in film libraries?

RESPONSE: "We don't comment on potential deals and we feel comfortable with our strategic position and scale before considering anything like MGM or any of those other libraries. So we don't need to do anything. We'll just continue to be disciplined and opportunistic about these things. Any deal, if we were to do one, would need to provide strategic benefits and a strong return in relation to other choices that we have. And you'd have to figure risk in figuring out what any returns would be on an acquisition."

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9DKTO282.htm

But at the same time, one media source reported that Time Warner is seen by industry observers as the leading bidder since it already owns much of the MGM library and has large cash reserves.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/68853268-023f-11df-8b56-00144feabdc0.html

Thoughts?

 

[Watson]

Matthew Goode Auditioned For Bilbo Baggins In 'The Hobbit'!

Posted 5 hrs ago by Adam Rosenberg in News

Over the weekend, BAFTA Awards winners were honored in London. And as with any major awards ceremony, the event brought stars out from all corners of the entertainment game. As a result, interview opportunities were flying around everywhere.
One such interview was with Matthew Goode, whose "A Single Man" co-star Colin Firth was up for (and won) the Leading Actor award for his performance. Goode sat down for a chat with the UK newspaper Telegraph and he dropped a very interesting tidbit about a possible upcoming trip to Middle-earth in "The Hobbit."
Apparently, Goode met with "Hobbit" director Guillermo del Toro sometime in the recent past. To audition. For Bilbo Baggins. Yes, that Bilbo Baggins.
There's not much news to report beyond that. Goode thinks that his size will be a big check mark against him in the race for the lead role in the two-part Tolkien adaptation. "Look at the size of me for Christ’s sake!" he exclaimed. But he also said that he'd find it very difficult to refuse the role if it were offered to him.
I'm not terribly familiar with Goode, having not seen "A Single Man." He was solid enough in "Watchmen," which was by most accounts -- mine included -- an okay-not-great movie. He's certainly tall, but so is John Rhys-Davies, who played the gruff dwarf Gimli in the "Lord of the Rings" series. Anything is possible with the magic of filmmaking. I'm not so sure Goode looks the part for Bilbo, but again I refer back to filmmaking's magical powers before passing any judgment.
Fans who are familiar with del Toro and "Rings" franchise producer Peter Jackson should trust them to ultimately make the right choice. For now, let's all debate the merits and drawbacks of Goode-as-Bilbo.
Is Goode a good choice Bilbo? Is there someone you'd rather see in the role?
Now he’s a father, Goode doesn’t even like travelling that much. But just before we met, he’d auditioned for the role of Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro’s two-part film of The Hobbit. As he is the first to admit, he’s not an obvious choice – ‘Look at the size of me for Christ’s sake!’ If he got the part, he would, he says, find it almost impossible to refuse – despite the fact that it would involve him spending several months in New Zealand.

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/02/23/matthew-goode-auditioned-for-bilbo-baggins-in-the-hobbit/

 

[Project862006]

he is a great actor but he is very tall for bilbo dont you think lol

 

[Iceman]

I disagree. A movie like Hobbit ( or for that matter any property with fantasy elements such as Potter or Pan's Labyrinth) would benefit from 3d because it really makes the viewer enjoy the world more.

Edit :
And expanding on what dark_b said.
PJ is also looking at early tests to convert the LOTR movies in 3d. Just like Cameron is doing the same thing with Titanic

Agreed. 3D isn't going to add much to certain films but any film set in a visually beautiful created world is sure to benefit.

Wonder how good LOTR would be in 3D.

 

[Watson]

he is a great actor but he is very tall for bilbo dont you think lol

John Rhys Davies is 6'3, and he played Gimli. It could be possible.

 

[Boom]

No.

No no no no no.

Goode bores me to tears, and he comes across as a jackass. No thank you.

 

[regwec]

Agree with that. Bilbo needs to be someone charming enough for his eccentricities not to seem boring or annoying. He needs to have a lot of personality. Martin Freeman is still my choice.

 

[Silver Knight]

When does filming start?

 

[matrix_ghost]

John Rhys Davies is 6'3, and he played Gimli. It could be possible.

It is true that he was taller then Viggo and Orlando. However for wide shots they were using his body double. For close ups wen they were really needed to see his face he was almost always filmed seperate.
Not to mention that he aside from Rivendell scene in FOTR , he was the only dwarf present all the 3 LOTR movies.

It's different thing with Bilbo because he is part of a group of dwarves when they set out on their journey. You want some consistency with the heights because otherwise you'd have to compensate Matthew's height by having taller actors cast for the roles of the dwarves..
Look at the 4 hobbitts in LOTR. They don't differ that muc in length meaning that Peter Jackson could film them all in one shot without constantly having to use digital techniques.

 

[:eek:]

3D Discussions for The Hobbit Have Begun

Source:TheOneRing.net
March 1, 2010



With all of the pervasive talk about making and converting movies into 3D over the past few months, one would expect that Guillermo del Toro's planned two-part adaptation of The Hobbit would be a no-brainer.

There were rumors that might be the case last year, which del Toro denied back in August with the following statement on the OneRing.net forums:

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.

That was six months ago and a lot has changed in Hollywood, and del Toro, a man of his words, dropped by the forums on OneRing.net to update the fans on whether or not the success of Avatar has changed those plans:

I wouldn't read much on it just yet, but now, after all this time, after AVATAR doing the Box Office it did, we have had enquires from above about The Hobbit being in 3-D.

No impositions or heavy leaning. Just enquires. Just fulfilling my promise to let you all know if discussions ever started.

Cheers

GDT

Currently The Hobbit is scheduled for release in December 2011 with the second chapter to follow a year later, although there were recent stories suggesting that the timeframe for both movies might be pushed back a year, something that making the movie in 3D might warrant.

 

[matrix_ghost]

GOod news obviouly for 3d fans although the question still remains if they are going to shoot the entire movie in 3d and render the CG shots is 3d as well or convert the movie from 2d to 3d.
Not only that but there still the issue with MGM to be dealt with.

I think that it's safe to say that we won't be seeing the first hobbit movie in dec of 2011 unless of course Del Toro decides to shoot the movie like the POTC sequels. Shoot the first movie and some parts of the 2nd movie , then take a break in order to start post. prod on the first movie. Then once the first movie is finished they continue shooting the remainder of the 2nd movie and finish it in time for the release date.
HOwever i don't think that Delo Toro ( and PJ and co.) will go for that because of how everything is going along. Not only that but there are news articles aying that POTC3 cost far more then it should've cost because of everyone working overtime in order to meet the release date.
By comparison the 3rd POC is far grander in terms of VFX yet the time to get all the shots done was actually shorter compared to how long artists worked on the 2nd movie.

I do think that Del Toro will shoot just as PJ did . Shoot all 2 back-to-back and once shooting is done , they'll start post. on the first and afterwards second movie. Hence why i think that the earliest we'll see the movie will be dec of 2012.
Hopefully they can commence shooting either late 2010 or early 2011. If that is the case then there may be a (good) chance of seeing a proper 3d movie after all. It will give WETA ( and maybe other studios should their schedule become to busy like with avatar) enough time to create all the shots in CG.

 

[Kud-Dukan]

I'd be cool with a 3D release, and I'm glad they are discussing FILMING it in 3D, and not converting it after the fact.

 

[mclay18]

1) New Line is in the process of changing ownership and being integrated into Warner Brothers.

New Line Cinema is fully integrated into Warner Brothers now as its subsidiary. The delay is just from the possible MGM sale and because Del Toro and Jackson haven't locked a final draft of the second film.

 

[Jackasscoley15]

Gerard Butler for Bard the Bowman.

 

[Burn0utCS]

Gerard Butler for Bard the Bowman.

^agreed
I could see Gerard Butler as Bard the Bowman of Dale. He's my #1 pick to play that character

 

[Nirvana]

I could careless to see this movie in 3D. This and comic book films should just be made using regular film.

 

[mclay18]

I could careless to see this movie in 3D. This and comic book films should just be made using regular film.

SR, Captain America and the Spidey reboot aren't shot on film. They're being shot digitally.

 

[Nivek]

I could careless to see this movie in 3D. This and comic book films should just be made using regular film.

2.5 Billion+ worldwide box office speaks louder than anything you could say in retort.

3D is not meant for every film, but it's a great addition to fantasy genre films

 

[Hannibal Smith]

The problem with Avatar is and what made Rings good was the lived in feel. Its what made Star War films great. The 3D aspect does not feel like people lived there too me. Its to shiny and clean.