Well, some more great info/speculation from The Frodo Franchise site. First comes this from Fred Schrurers blog found at
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs...ne-at-new-line
The article is called The Perfect Storm that sank Shaye and Lynne. He makes some excellent points I think.
Most fans will find this quote interesting:
"In the last category, Shaye and Lynne's long unwillingness to cede control to the company that linked with them in 1996 by acquiring the studio's then-parent Turner Broadcasting System, mixed with such untoward events as another perfect storm around the company's one huge success, Lord of the Rings (New Line was sued by director-producer Peter Jackson, original option holder Saul Zaentz, and more recently, the Tolkien estate).
That perfect record of being called chiselers on their biggest hit (the first two disputes were settled out of court) dovetails with Warner Bros.'s need to take the Hobbit project in hand--now that Jackson has agreed to produce it--and free it from potential legal entanglement by the Tolkien trust."
Kristin Thompson states on her blog "That reference to freeing the Hobbit project “from potential legal entanglement by the Tolkien trust” may hint that Warners or New Line will settle out of court in the not-too-distant future–which would be a logical move, given the value of the franchise." See the rest of her quote over at her blog.
Here's the link to The Frodo Franchise for Kristin's take:
http://www.kristinthompson.net/blog/
I sure like the sound that Warner Bros. "needs to take the Hobbit project in hand -- now that Jackson has agreed to produce it -- and FREE IT from the potential legal entanglement by the Tolkien trust."
Sure sounds like a settlement is coming!