The Hobbit Trilogy Discussion Thread

[Offender_Mullet]

Wouldn't it be funny if this whole thing was a joke and they never had any intention of him directing.....they just used Del Toro to help write the screenplay.

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by Offender_Mullet

Wouldn't it be funny if this whole thing was a joke and they never had any intention of him directing.....they just used Del Toro to help write the screenplay.

That seems extremely unlikely. I think the only reason Del Toro was cut into the screenwriting is because Jackson wanted his director to have a personal involvement in the screenplay from go, instead of hiring a director that ends up wanting to perpetually tinker with the screenplay during filming.

...that, and he really wanted to bring in a fresh set of eyes to creating the visual aesthetic, so that 'The Hobbit' doesn't end up being nothing more than flogging a dead horse and looking like un-necessary milking of a franchise.

On the bright side, Del Toro has already contributed enough work to put his own "stamp" on the final product, assuming Jackson directs and doesn't bring in someone else.

[tommyboy81]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

That seems extremely unlikely. I think the only reason Del Toro was cut into the screenwriting is because Jackson wanted his director to have a personal involvement in the screenplay from go, instead of hiring a director that ends up wanting to perpetually tinker with the screenplay during filming.

...that, and he really wanted to bring in a fresh set of eyes to creating the visual aesthetic, so that 'The Hobbit' doesn't end up being nothing more than flogging a dead horse and looking like un-necessary milking of a franchise.

On the bright side, Del Toro has already contributed enough work to put his own "stamp" on the final product, assuming Jackson directs and doesn't bring in someone else.

hope he gets some kind of credit for it. Just wonder how much of the screenplay he was involved with.

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by tommyboy81

hope he gets some kind of credit for it. Just wonder how much of the screenplay he was involved with.

When it comes out, I think you will see Del Toro credited as a producer, screenwriter, and probably some title in the art department as well. I believe he is legally entitled to that, even if they decide to discard all of his input, (which I doubt they would do).

[tommyboy81]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

When it comes out, I think you will see Del Toro credited as a producer, screenwriter, and probably some title in the art department as well. I believe he is legally entitled to that, even if they decide to discard all of his input, (which I doubt they would do).

yeah I believe he had a big part in the script and design.

[Josh]

If his abandonment of the film was voluntary, then I say Del Toro should get no credit at all. Imagine if Tolkien was part way through The Lord of the Rings and said, "This is taking too long... I'm going to quit and write some short stories."

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Sith4Brains

l believe Megan Fox got the part of Bimbo, Niece of Bilbo

That comment is am insult to bimbos everywhere.

Originally Posted by Josh

If his abandonment of the film was voluntary, then I say Del Toro should get no credit at all. Imagine if Tolkien was part way through The Lord of the Rings and said, "This is taking too long... I'm going to quit and write some short stories."

Gotta disagree. If Del Toro did ANY work on the Hobbit (and it's clear that he did) then he should get credit for it. It wasn't his fault that MGM had their thumbs up their keisters for two years.

Another news account:

http://paralleluniverse.msn.com/feat...ory/?Gt1=28140

[Josh]

Originally Posted by radagast

Gotta disagree. If Del Toro did ANY work on the Hobbit (and it's clear that he did) then he should get credit for it. It wasn't his fault that MGM had their thumbs up their keisters for two years.

Did Stewart Townsend receive any credit for his work on the film? No retorical, I just can't remember if they mentioned anything.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Josh

Did Stewart Townsend receive any credit for his work on the film? No retorical, I just can't remember if they mentioned anything.

No, but Del Toro did quite a bit of design work and maybe some of the script. I would hope that they would not waste more time by starting over on those things. If they use what Del Toro worked on, then he should get due credit. Nothing that Townsend did was used in the final product, right? I think it was all new footage with Viggo.

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by Josh

If his abandonment of the film was voluntary, then I say Del Toro should get no credit at all. Imagine if Tolkien was part way through The Lord of the Rings and said, "This is taking too long... I'm going to quit and write some short stories."

It wasn't "voluntary" so much as "obligatory": Del Toro has pretty much been "booked" for the next decade, and that was all in place before he even joined the Hobbit production. He has other obligations, and this one ran over-schedule. I don't think it was an acrimonious departure, it is regrettable for all parties.

Comparing it to Tolkien quitting is a poor analogy for a couple of reasons. The book was a one-man project, he could quit and start again years later, and in fact he did a couple times. In a film production, if one person has to quit, the rest of the team has to forge ahead without him.

He doesn't deserve any directing credit, because he hasn't done any directing; but he has contributed as a screenwriter and producer, and he must be credited for it... I think Hollywood's various labor unions have made that a legal obligation.

Originally Posted by radagast

Gotta disagree. If Del Toro did ANY work on the Hobbit (and it's clear that he did) then he should get credit for it. It wasn't his fault that MGM had their thumbs up their keisters for two years.

Not completely MGM's fault, but definitely a large part of the blame goes to them. They've cost the project about an extra year so far, Jackson's unrealistic scheduling cost them the other year, (I don't know how he thought he would get this off the ground in only 2-3 years with all the other projects he's been tied up with. Maybe he thought he could leave the production for months at a time and GDT would pull the weight in the meantime). GDT does give the impression that he believed MGM would stall them yet another year or more, and he doesn't have the luxury of waiting around to see what they do.

Originally Posted by Josh

Did Stewart Townsend receive any credit for his work on the film? No retorical, I just can't remember if they mentioned anything.

Originally Posted by radagast

No, but Del Toro did quite a bit of design work and maybe some of the script. I would hope that they would not waste more time by starting over on those things. If they use what Del Toro worked on, then he should get due credit. Nothing that Townsend did was used in the final product, right? I think it was all new footage with Viggo.

Stewart Townsend was fired before he did anything. I'm sure he was paid for his time, just as Nick Nolte was paid for his work on the film even though all of his scenes were cut.

Look, if the Weinstein's get put in the credits for LOTR, when all they did was temporarily possess the rights before conveying them to New Line, then certainly GDT will get production credits.

[kjacobs03]

Nick Nolte was supposed to be in LotR?

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by kjacobs03

Nick Nolte was supposed to be in LotR?

Nolte was cast as Beregond. They shot scenes, but they were all cut. It is speculated that it was a PR decision based upon Nolte's high-profile DUI arrest and embarrassing mugshot from a Sept. 11, 2002 incident.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

Nolte was cast as Beregond. They shot scenes, but they were all cut. It is speculated that it was a PR decision based upon Nolte's high-profile DUI arrest and embarrassing mugshot from a Sept. 11, 2002 incident.

How do you insert an image into a post? The only way I see is to specify a link, but I have this pic on my PC.

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by radagast

How do you insert an image into a post? The only way I see is to specify a link, but I have this pic on my PC.

You should be able to browse to a location for a picture, and that location can be on one of your hard drives. That's how I've always posted pictures to these forums.

[radagast]

Maybe this'll work.

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by radagast

Maybe this'll work.

It's probably just as well he didn't end up as Beregond. When Denethor commands his guards to "slay me this renegade" at his funeral pyre, it doesn't look as if it would have been that tall of an order.

[Diesel]

Sir Ian McKellen was recently on New Zealand’s Good Morning Show and, in usual Ian McKellen fashion, dropped a bomb on fans of The Hobbit as a-matter-of-factly as he would talk about the weather.

The piece of info that McKellen revealed was dire: the window of opportunity for the actor to reprise his role as Gandalf The Grey in The Hobbit is quickly closing, and if MGM continues to delay the film, McKellen may soon be forced to bow out altogether.


Said Sir Ian:

You can watch a video of the interview by going HERE.

McKellen’s sentiment pretty much echoes the exact fears we here at Screen Rant (and a lot of you fans out there) have been expressing for months. We all know that a Hobbit movie is going to happen (the property is too lucrative for it not to), but the danger with this MGM bankruptcy situation is that the delays could force this planned version of the The Hobbit to be scrapped until the movie can be attempted later, once MGM is either in the clear or has become a fading Hollywood memory.

In positive news, Spyglass Entertainment may soon take control of MGM, and early word is that Spyglass would transform the troubled studio into a production-only company, Under such re-structuring, MGM would then sell off its film properties to distributors, meaning The Hobbit could land at WB/New Line, as that studio is already helping MGM finance the film.



I get that business is business and that (from a business standpoint) it would be foolish for MGM to get rid of their most valued properties (The Hobbit and the James Bond series) until they know for certain that they’re dead in the water. Of course, we as movie fans are losing in the process.

The MGM delays have already forced Guillermo del Toro off The Hobbit; now Ian McKellen is getting restless and word is Peter Jackson is losing patience too. I think it goes without saying that this project is looking more and more like a cluster bomb disaster with each passing day. Gotta love movie studios (irony alert!).

What do you think about McKellen possibly leaving The Hobbit? Would that be the sign of the end for this film, in your opinion? Is there someone else you could see stepping in to play Gandalf if McKellen can’t do it (Patrick Stewart)? Let us know in the comments.

http://screenrant.com/the-hobbit-ian...lf-kofi-67153/

[Batman1980]

My desire to see/get Hobbit will be greatly reduced if they lose the services of the venerable Ian McKellen.

[Grand Bob]

Ian McKellen IS Gandalf - it would be a tragedy to lose him. The Harry Potter movies lost some of their luster after Richard Harris died and Michael Gambon assumed the role of Dumbledore. MGM needs to get their act together quickly.

[kjacobs03]

I would rather NOT have The Hobbit than a McKellenless The Hobbit.