Pj To Produce The Hobbit!

[Sauron the White]

In the speculation and debate about Jackson not having enough time to do more than just lend his name to the two pics,, here is something which could be good news for the pro Jackson lobby. It seems that one of the big obstacles preventing Jackson from directing is his obligation to Steven Spielberg to direct a TIN TIN pic. But now it looks like Spielberg is filling up his own schedule with lots of work other than whatever the heck a tintin is.

from Variety..

Could "The Trial of the Chicago Seven" be Steven Spielberg's next picture?
Spielberg has been developing the DreamWorks project, about anti-Vietnam War activists arrested at the 1968 Democratic Convention, for some time. Now it looks as if he has found his hippie ringleader.

British thesp Sacha Baron Cohen, who just came off a role in DreamWorks' "Sweeney Todd," has been attached to play Abbie Hoffman in the pic, according to a report in London's Sunday Times.

A rep for Spielberg would neither confirm nor deny the report.

DreamWorks inked a deal with Aaron Sorkin to write the script for the project in July. Spielberg is producing alongside Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald.

"Chicago Seven" is not without competition for Spielberg's attentions.

He also has a project about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War in the works. That project has a script and leading thesp in the bag.

Tony Kushner, the "Angels in America" playwright who rewrote Eric Roth's script for "Munich," has delivered the script, based on a Doris Kearns Goodwin book, and Liam Neeson is attached to play Lincoln.

Spielberg is also lined up to direct one of the 3-D toons in the "Tintin" trilogy, which is being produced by Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy. Jackson will also helm one of the pics, the first of which is skedded to begin principal photography in September.

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My own two cents --- I would really love to see Spielberg direct both LINCOLN and CHICAGO 7 and Jackson the HOBBIT. Forget about tincan or whatever it is.

[THE Ka]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

But now it looks like Spielberg is filling up his own schedule with lots of work other than whatever the heck a tintin is.

Il est un journaliste et aventurier, avec son chien Milou ('Snowy' in english versions). Plus, Captain Haddock as well.
He's the main character from the graphic novel series by Herge (George Remi, a Belgian artists). It's pretty big, and has been for the past 70 years.

Ugh, I completely forgot PJ was working on Tintin! I am so torn now...

Though, Tintin has been made into films before. There has even been whole television series in a slew of countries, the latest I believe was Canada (only because I watched it as a little whelp). So, this won't be the first exactly.

Hmm, well, I think I'd rather see PJ working on The Hobbit, just to save it from the complete mayhem and disaster that could be risked without him.

~ Ka

[Child of the 7th Age]

This was posted on the OneRing.net that took it from IMBd, which apparently took it from a blog. If this is true (and who knows if it is), I'm not sure what difference it will make in the production of the Hobbit. Has anyone heard anything else about this?

Golden Parachutes for New Line Founders?


Following a planned meeting this week with new Time Warner Chairman Jeff Bewkes, New Line Cinema founders Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne are expected to be terminated and New Line's projects, including The Hobbit, folded into Warner Bros., L.A. Weekly columnist Nikki Finke reported on her Deadline Hollywood Daily blog Monday, citing no sources. With the exception of last year's Hairspray, New Line has had a nearly uninterrupted string of financial failures since its Lord of the Rings franchise ran out.

[zxcvbn]

No, I haven't heard anything apart from the rumour, Child of the 7th Age. But if it's true, I have to say New Line had it coming. Before LOTR, they were a second-rate studio helming endless horror flick rehashes(Friday the Thirteenth, Elm Street series etc.) and most of the work they've done after LOTR is of the same caliber. With LOTR's popularity they had the chance to make it into the 'Big Studio' league and blew it with crap like Freddy vs. Jason and the Golden Compass.

And I doubt this will affect the production of The Hobbit. It's too much of a cash cow for Warner Bros. And Peter's made himself some powerful friends(Harry Sloan, anyone?), so he won't have to worry about getting sh*tcanned, either.

[Sauron the White]

If this is true, it will be major news. New Line has only itself to blame as zxcvbn has wisely observed. Shaye took a once in a lifetime opportunity with NL poised on the brink of being a real major studio and completely reversed their fortunes with it. One bad decision, one bad movie after another. And his own Last Wimzy probably the mostinglorious achievement of them all.

I wonder if this will cause even a short delay in the 2 ME films?

[Child of the 7th Age]

Here is another link on the "firing" of Shaye and Lynne: http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.co...wed-by-bewkes/

[Sauron the White]

theonering.net is now reporting that they have gotten an email from New Line denying any thruth to the reports that Shay is being fired or HOBBIT is going to be under the Warner label.