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Our fantasies are coming true Lord of the Rings fans: Peter Jackson is in FINAL negotiations to direct the next two Hobbit films! Following all of the press about Guillermo del Toro leaving and wondering whether or not the films were even going to be made, it’s such a relief to know that Jackson is going back to The Shire and delivering us what we always wanted in the first place.
Following the shocking news of Guillermo del Toro leaving The Hobbit, many fans, including myself, have been wondering whether or not the beloved franchise will ever see the light of day. No new director has been announced and so far, we don’t know anything about the production of the film, and if it’s even going to happen…but, lo and behold, Gandalf himself, by way of Sir Ian McKellan’s Twitter, has come out and assuaged all of our worries with one Tweet.
Breaking News: With all of the financial woes MGM is going through and the constant battle with the rights to The Hobbit constantly delaying the film’s release, honestly, I never thought I would see it come to this.
What are we going to do with MGM Studios? It seems like they are moments away from going under and yet everyday more news comes out regarding their future production slate that looks promising. I wish someone would hurry up and buy them so we can at least know what to expect.
As you may or may not know, MGM is hurting financially. Back in September Variety reported that MGM might have to auction off their properties, which includes The Hobbit and the next Bond film, in order to try and alleviate their debts. Different studios from Warner Bros. to Lionsgate have indicated interest in purchasing the rest of the MGM properties. As of right now, MGM is for sale.
Just yesterday it was reported by Slashfilm that the next Bond film, Bond 23, was officially put on hold with all of the MGM stuff floating in the air. Both producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said, “Well, our timeline is a little up in the air what with the situation at MGM, so we have to be flexible. We just don’t know enough about the situation to comment, but we know it’s uncertain.” If Bond is put on hold then I fear what that means for the future of the beloved Hobbit film. How about the proposed Darren Aronofsky remake of Robocop that we are all waiting for?
It’s amazing what can happen in a day. As of yesterday, Nikki Finke broke the news that director Sam Mendes was in talks to possibly direct the next Bond film at MGM. What?! I thought it was put on hold! And now you’re telling me that they are fast tracking the film for a 2011 release date…(side note to consider: Kate Winslet as a Bond girl? I would like that)
As for The Hobbit, Production Weekly is reporting that production is set to start in June and shoot for 14 months with shooting and post-production overlapping on both of the films. If they are starting filming this summer then that means we should start to hear some casting news pretty soon, especially who will be starring as Bilbo.
That leaves us with Robocop…and it’s not looking so good. According to a report from Moviehole, who received their information from Robocop Archives, it looks like the film is frozen:
I’ve spoken with Phoenix Pictures [and] asked them about the status of Robocop… they told me that the project is on hold. The problem is that Mary Parent, Chairperson of MGM, wants a 3D movie for the new Robocop.
Apparently, Darren Aronofsky isn’t keen on using a lot of CG and especially a gimmick like 3D. For me, this is good news. I don’t want to see a video-game-movie-remake of Robocop where I have blood and bullets coming at me. I want a good ole’ traditional 2D killing spree with Robocop mulling bad guys down. And I want Darren to do it! Way to stick to your guns Aronofsky!
What do you think about the crazy carousel that is MGM Studios? Will they be able to survive a buy out? Will the film slate be hampered by the negative press they are receiving because of their financial woes?
There are a lot of casting rumors that come out for movies and for the most part, they are all just fan fiction that is made up to get the online movie bloggers all riled up about fantasy casting. Here’s hoping that this one is just one of those…
There have been a lot of rumors going around about the casting of The Hobbit, with names like James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe being tossed around, only to have them both publicly denied (Peter Jackson debunked the McAvoy rumor and Radcliffe flat out said, “No thanks.”) It’s no surprise at the amount of misinformation that has come out or the amount of fantasy casting rumors that are conjured up from The Hobbit camp because all of us movie geeks literally can’t wait to see what Guillermo del Toro will do with these heavy reigns.
Latino Review, who are known for exclusives and not posting a lot of wild rumors, have it on some authority that none other than Spider-Man himself, Tobey Maguire, may be in talks to star as none other than Bilbo Baggins.
Apparently while out doing promotion for his latest film Brothers, he was asked about which director he would like to work with next and he said, “Guillermo del Toro.” And then followed that up with this little golden nugget, “We may have something here in the near future.”
The Hobbit: Part I hits theaters in December, 2011. (hopefully)
What do you guys think? Could Maguire pull off Bilbo Baggins? Is he a good enough actor to base another HUGE franchise on?
When Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson announced that they were indeed going to produce and create two more Hobbit films, wild speculation began circling about which cast members from the original LOTR series would return.
We don’t know yet who all of the cast members are going to be and who will play the main character, Bilbo, but we do know who some of the returning characters will be. In a radio interview that Guillermo did with Simon Mayo of the BBC yesterday, he revealed that Sir Ian McKellen will return as Gandalf, Hugo Weaving will be back as Elrond, and Andy Serkis will reprise his most famous role as Gollum.
This is great news for those fans, like myself, who thrive on the continuity of characters across a series. I am sure I would have still gone to see the films even if they were recast, but there’s something magical and fitting that the original cast come back. Especially characters as important as Gandalf, Elrond, and Gollum.
In the same interview, he also talked a little about maybe including a subplot in the Hobbit film:
“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.”
Discussion: Who would you want to see play Bilbo?
Movie News (5/21/08): Variety reports that pre-production is about to get underway on The Hobbit films. Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Andy Serkis (Gollum), and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) have already been contacted about starring in the films, as their characters play important roles in The Hobbit films.
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