Official The Hobbit thread

[Boom]

Posted today:

Spyglass Poised to Run MGM Studios

This better happen, I'm starting to get sick of all this potentially good news souring into terrible news.

That does tend to keep happening doesn't it?

At this point, I really don't care what happens. So long as the outcome is that The Hobbit is greenlit by September-October.

 

[Jackasscoley15]

Well, if things are moving as fast as the article lets on, we may get a greenlight sooner than we think.

 

[Boom]

Even if this goes through, The Hobbit will still be a few years down the road. 2013 at the earlier at this point.

It's a fourteen month shoot for both films back-to-back.

If they are able to start filming in January 2011 (which is the tentative plan at this point), they'd finish principal photography in March of 2012. That leaves eight months to finish post-production work on the first film for a Winter 2012 release.

Remember. Almost all of the pre-production work has been completed. All that's left to do is hire a director and cast the roles - which PJ has been holding auditions for over the past few months. As soon as this project is greenlit, they should be able to move into production fairly quickly.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

2012 went out the window awhile ago.

 

[Boom]

Well then I guess I need you to explain to me.

 

[Jackasscoley15]

2012 went out the window awhile ago.

Uh, since when? If they begin production by the end of this year/early next year (as per the current plan), they would have plenty of time to finish the first movie by Winter 2012.

 

[FilmNerdJamie]

You guys are jumping to the conclusion this is a done deal (It isn't) and by the snap of a finger they'll be ready to start lensing. *Shakes head* We've heard a number of times now about how someone was in talks to get MGM set straight but it fell through. Wait till the ink from the contracts are dry and then we'll start talking.

The last official word on a production start date was around February/March of next year. I guarantee you the soonest this starts (knock on wood, if this deal happens) is next summer. There is a lot of stuff to get done first, folks. And again, we've heard this a number of times now about filming being pushed back. Don't suddenly cling to the latest start-date as the Gospel.

2012 went out the window for the same reason 2011 did. Everyone is dragging their feet (thanks to the lion having no money). When The Wrap broke that story late last year, Peter Jackson denied the **** out of it to Collider - even though it was true. WB only came clean about the delay with their big IMAX announcements and that was only a few months back.

 

[Jackasscoley15]

Do you have a source for the Feb/March start date? Last I heard, PJ and Co. were telling the crew to prepare for a November start.

 

[Poeman]

Gandalf might not make it when The Hobbit starts shooting.

 

[Jackasscoley15]

Gandalf might not make it when The Hobbit starts shooting.

Come on, he's not that old. He's only 71.

 

[regwec]

Ian McKellen played Gandalf the Grey as a man older than himself. It will be a long time before he is too old to play Gandalf as a man younger than himself.

 

[Kurosawa]

Really hope this deal goes through, both so the Hobbit can get made and so Bond 23 can happen and they don't lose Craig.

 

[Octoberist]

I can see it happening still. But Bond, that's gonna be lost in limbo until someone picks it up.

IMAGE IF WARNER BROS PICKED UP BOND! But I really think that Sony is going handle it.

 

[Spideyfan93]

This whole ordeal is extremely frustrating. And if Ian refuses to play Gandalf again out of frustration...then I say no Hobbit...unless the replacement is worthy but who can replace Ian?

 

[Octoberist]

He's not going to refuse to play Gandalf. Why would he?

If all else, he would turn it down only if it's a schedule conflict. But I'm sure Jackson is trying to work out a deal with him.

 

[Marx]

For me, Ian McKellan IS Gandalf.

 

[Catman]

You guys are jumping to the conclusion this is a done deal (It isn't) and by the snap of a finger they'll be ready to start lensing. *Shakes head* We've heard a number of times now about how someone was in talks to get MGM set straight but it fell through. Wait till the ink from the contracts are dry and then we'll start talking.

The last official word on a production start date was around February/March of next year. I guarantee you the soonest this starts (knock on wood, if this deal happens) is next summer. There is a lot of stuff to get done first, folks. And again, we've heard this a number of times now about filming being pushed back. Don't suddenly cling to the latest start-date as the Gospel.

2012 went out the window for the same reason 2011 did. Everyone is dragging their feet (thanks to the lion having no money). When The Wrap broke that story late last year, Peter Jackson denied the **** out of it to Collider - even though it was true. WB only came clean about the delay with their big IMAX announcements and that was only a few months back.

And it's only a matter of time before December 2012 is filled up. Even if things started to move quickly they might end up losing the release date.

 

[redhawk23]

oh gandalf wil survive long enough but actors will start walking away for good soon.

 

[Spider-Who?]

Ian McKellen played Gandalf the Grey as a man older than himself. It will be a long time before he is too old to play Gandalf as a man younger than himself.

thats not the issue. its about whether or not he'll LIVE long enough to play the characters.

Personally, I don't doubt that he'll make it. Its Christopher Lee that I'm worried about.

 

[Schlosser85]

For me, Ian McKellan IS Gandalf.

This.

Its Christopher Lee that I'm worried about.

And this. McKellen is around fifteen years younger than Lee, and Lee has been noticeably slowing down recently, he's already turned down a trip to NZ earlier because he felt it was too strenuous for him, and they had to make some kind of deal where he could do his part in England (provided they ever get around to it).

Christopher Lee has been a HUGE Tolkien fan for about fifty years and reads the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy once a year, it would be a shame if he didn't get to reprise his role as Saruman just because the studio took too long to get their **** together, and how do you replace Lee as Saruman??

Other than someone like Bilbo, who's far younger in The Hobbit, obviously, I can't see replacing ANYONE from The Lord of the Rings. Those were three of the most perfectly-cast movies I've ever seen, IMO.

oh gandalf wil survive long enough but actors will start walking away for good soon.

This is a legitimate concern. Even apart from a question of their ages, actors can't afford to just wait around on one project to get its **** together for years on end. They risk missing out on other roles they want to take, and then their window of availability might close and they might run into scheduling conflicts with other projects they'd already had lined up for a year or two from now when The Hobbit finally tells him it's ready for them to film their scenes. Acting is not a sedentary profession.

 

[Doc Ock]

For me, Ian McKellan IS Gandalf.

Most definitely!

 

[Boom]

More on the Spyglass-MGM deal.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-spyglass-20100811,0,2742082.story

 

[Doctor Jones]

I'm just glad this is happening. I had no idea when this would be settled, I just didn't expect it this soon. Thank God for that.

 

[:eek:]

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/08/14/james-camerons-advice-to-del-toro-get-out-of-the-hobbit/

 

[matrix_ghost]

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/08/14/james-camerons-advice-to-del-toro-get-out-of-the-hobbit/

Interesting to see Cameron saying that. And i don't think it's a case of him not wanting GDT to do Hobbit but more a case of GDT not having problems with his own projects. For example if Del Toro had a crystal ball and looked into the future , i''m pretty sure he'd never have accepted the Hobbit if he knew he'd basically "waste" 1.5 years on Hobbit only to see himself moving on to do his own projects because of the problems at MGM.

Before and after GDT , everyone wants Peter to do Hobbit and that is what JC i guess what he's saying.