It has been well documented that Guillermo del Toro will approach the original The Lord of the Rings cast to reprise their roles in Middle-earth should the script call for it. News comes today from the MTV Movie Blog that one such actor, John Noble, won’t be available:
“If they said, ‘Would you come and play Denethor again,’” Noble said, “I would have to say, ‘No, I’m doing [new J.J. Abrams television series] ‘Fringe’! And I certainly couldn’t play a younger Denethor or even Ecthelion now that I’m an older John. Not even with makeup.”
For the full story, jump on over to the MTV Movie Blog. [Read More]
Del Toro said, “I am very excited, very nervous. It is very daunting. I think it is a responsibility. It is like being handed the keys to the nuclear button.”
Del Toro also talks more about how he’ll work with Peter Jackson and will continue to respect the LOTR world that has already been created. There’s also a video interview attached to the site. ITN Limited
Martin sends along this link to an audio interview with RDT, take a listen: Jason Solomons talks to upcoming British actor Thomas Turgoose about his role in the new Shane Meadows film Somers Town and Xan Brooks quizzes Guillermo Del Toro on Hellboy II and his new project The Hobbit. Film Weekly Chats up Guillermo Del Toro
Ambrose Heron of FILMdetail.com recently spoke with Guillermo del Toro about Hellboy II and they also discussed some interesting tidbits about the writing of the ‘Hobbit’ script:
I seem to have a never ending mine of reading material. I started by reading everything I could get my hands on that Tolkien wrote of Middle-earth. And then I started reading as many books as I can about Tolkien writing about Middle-earth. I want to get as familiar with the cosmology and the genealogy and the geography of that place as possible. Because for many, myself included, it has to become a real place again.
August 20th, 2008 by Calisuri
| Source: Variety
| Discuss
‘Frodo Franchise‘ author, Kristin Thompson, points us to Variety.com today with further official word that our favorite scribes have all signed on the dotted line, so to speak:
Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have officially signed on to collaborate on “The Hobbit” and its sequel with director Guillermo del Toro. The announcement, from exec producers Jackson and Walsh and New Line president Toby Emmerich, came four months after del Toro confirmed he had signed on to direct both pics.
Read the full article at Variety.com and strap on your seatbelts - the funs is just getting started! [Variety.com]
Some news on the funding behind the upcoming ‘Hobbit’ films from Bloomberg.com:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., the movie studio controlled by private-equity firms, is raising as much as $600 million to produce some of its biggest films including “The Hobbit.” [...] MGM’s would be the first movie fund completed since Deutsche Bank AG and Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures scrapped plans last month to raise $450 million. The MGM fund includes “The Hobbit,” being produced by “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson [...] ”The Hobbit,” being directed by Guillermo del Toro, is scheduled for release in December 2011. Jackson’s three “Lord of the Rings” movies, distributed by New York-based Time Warner, each cost about $95 million to make, according to Imdb.com.
Thanks to Diedye for the heads up on the article and click on the link to read the full story. [Bloomberg]
TheOneRing.net’s Larry Curtis recently chatted with our pal Sohaib on ‘Fictional Frontiers with Sohaib,’ on WNJC 1360 AM, Philadelphia. Take a gander at the transcript below (thoughtfully written down by Elven once again), Larry and Sohaib chat about the DragonCon 2008 Hobbit panel and much more! Read the rest of this entry »
DMN Newswire–2008-8-18–The Neo panel will be brought straight into front line service to carry out the full DI on Peter Jackson’s forthcoming film ‘The Lovely Bones’. Three further full DI projects are already booked in before the year end, including Alex Proyas’ feature ‘Knowing’, which is shot entirely on the RED camera. Adam Scott, Head of DI at Park Road, is enthused with Neo: “It’s a beautiful piece of kit, the clients will love it,” he says. “Neo will make the whole color grading process more time-efficient, streamlined and faster too. Having all the color tools instantly available just one touch away makes this a true colorist control surface and it will look extremely impressive in our ‘hero’ DI theatre. It’s all about improving the client experience and Neo is central to that.” Park Road Post Production purchases Neo
Another week, another great FLASHBACK from Ringer Diedye. This week’s flashback details the events that took place in the Tolkien universe between August 10th and August 16th. This is a weekly feature that Diedye posts in the forum, so if there is ever a time we don’t post it on the homepage of TORn, make sure to check the Main board in our forums. Click on the link below to transported in time!
Message board member Woodyend found an interesting article from the Scottsman which (as usual) touches on The Hobbit amid comments on Hellboy II: “People know that, even in the nicest ways, I am allergic to ideas and memos,” Del Toro sighs. [...] As for the freedom issue, he believes that he and Jackson, who will executive produce the prequels, “have a great understanding”. “We both know that The Hobbit, as a book and as an entity, is very different from the trilogy, but that the second movie needs to meld into the trilogy. So I believe I’m going to have full autonomy to rule that world within the parameters and confines that we mutually have agreed are necessary to preserve.” Read More