Guillermo Del Toro Exits The Hobbit Movie

[Lounge Daddy]

Excuse me while I rant ...

The more the complexities and the problems happen with the Hobbit movie, the more I am not so excited to see the train-wreck of a film that might result. From Peter Jackson not doing it, to him being involved (as a producer, not as a director), to threats from the Tolkien estate warning not to use material outside of The Hobbit (mostly, not to use The Silmarillion), and etc.

I became worried when there was a suggestion that they would announce who would play the leading role last Christmas. (Or was it the Christmas before that?)

Anyway, [url="http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/06/06/37064-a-message-from-guillermo/"]there's a short article on this at The One Ring dot net[/url]. And it includes a brief statement from Del Toro written specifically for the fans at TOR dot net.

Ah well. Maybe he can go take a vacation, and then get going on Hellboy part 3.

[Lounge Daddy]

Btw, the rumor mill around entertainment news is saying that a lot of the delays have been due to MGM holding some of the rights to The Hobbit. And they are holding onto what they have in an attempt to remain attractive to potential investors. (They have been up for auction for some time. But there haven't been any serious takers because they are mired in debt. The next James Bond film, too, is on hold.)

Del Toro points out in his letter that it is too hard to be relocated so far from everything -- family and other film projects and etc -- so long. And I would imagine that watching "so long" turn into "indefinitely" is just too much.

He says there are a number of reasons. But I would believe that the MGM thing is a big one.

[Lounge Daddy]

And then I see this from Executive Producer Peter Jackson:

[quote]“The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years."
...
The Hobbit is planned as two motion pictures, co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM.
[/quote]

[Lounge Daddy]

And then I see this from Executive Producer Peter Jackson, [url="http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/05/30/36920-guillermo-del-toro-departs-the-hobbit/"]in another article[/url]:

[quote]“The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years."
...
The Hobbit is planned as two motion pictures, co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM.
[/quote]

Edited June 11, 2010 by Lounge Daddy

[CatherineM]

I was wondering the other day how far along they were with the Hobbit. I can think of worst things than being paid to spend 6 years in New Zealand.

[ardillacid]

old knews...but I concur with you lounge daddy

[ThePenciledOne]

I wanted to see this too.

Or at least wanted somebody to make the Hobbit.

[Apotheoun]

Hopefully the Hobbit movie will still be produced.

[rhetoricfemme]

At least he had a classy and understandable exit. I'm hoping that work he's done up to this point in developing the concept for this version of The Hobbit is evident.

I <3 Guillermo Del Toro...

[sistersintigo]

"The Hobbit" book as TWO movies?!
Somebody has a few screws loose. The Hobbit is a single story, not a three-book cycle.
How about we settle for "The Hobbit" book giving us one single GOOD film?

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='sistersintigo' date='13 June 2010 - 09:55 AM' timestamp='1276444506' post='2128086']
"The Hobbit" book as TWO movies?!
Somebody has a few screws loose. The Hobbit is a single story, not a three-book cycle.
How about we settle for "The Hobbit" book giving us one single GOOD film?
[/quote]
I agree, but I think the film studios think that they can 2 billion dollars out of the Hobbit instead of just 1 billion.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='13 June 2010 - 09:15 PM' timestamp='1276481744' post='2128373']
I agree, but I think the film studios think that they can 2 billion dollars out of the Hobbit instead of just 1 billion.
[/quote]
If they can pull it off, I say go for it.

[MithLuin]

Until the rights issue gets worked out, no one is making any movies. This has been delayed so many times that I wouldn't be at all surprised if the two-movies concept is rethought. Originally, there was a question of the second film being a sort of 'bridge' to the LotR, and the first film just being 'The Hobbit'. While there is some material in the Appendices to LotR they could have used for that...basically it would have been a totally made up movie. I'm glad they shelved that in favor of 'The Hobbit' in two parts, but I would prefer a single movie, as well. It's a very linear story, with an obvious big battle at the end as a climax.

It's possible that del Toro and Jackson et al clashed over artistic differences, and the MGM thing is being used as an excuse. But I doubt it - the Bond movie is being held up, too.

Really, though, who is going to want to direct this film now? The pre-production has del Toro's fingerprints all over it, and Jackson (who has spent so long working on it) knows what he wants. To walk in now, a director would have to be willing to accept the situation on the ground - 'Here's a script, here's what the critters will look like, here's your locations and sets...now cast and film a movie.'

We may never see this, and del Toro walked away now because he lost hope of the project actually happening.

[ardillacid]

[quote name='sistersintigo' date='13 June 2010 - 11:55 AM' timestamp='1276444506' post='2128086']
"The Hobbit" book as TWO movies?!
Somebody has a few screws loose. The Hobbit is a single story, not a three-book cycle.
How about we settle for "The Hobbit" book giving us one single GOOD film?
[/quote]
Lord of the Rings is six books, but they made it into a trilogy of movies.

[MithLuin]

Yes, but it was the author who split the story into three volumes when it was first published over 50 years ago . The breaks are fairly arbitrary, I'll admit, but at least we got our full 11 hour movie event