Its Official - its Del Toro

[Sauron the White]

from Bethberry

Which leaves us with the question of what will happen to Tolkien's work in the hands of a director who just might have a better track record as a director than PJ.

The three areas of criteria that the film industry uses to establish track record are
1- box office revenues
2- critical acclaim
3- industry awards

based on their criteria, what list of possible directors do you have that show a better record than Jackson on his last four films?

[Mister Underhill]

Originally Posted by Bb

Would any enterprising Downers be the least little bit intrigued enough to consider not a book but a screen play for REB? Would Will Farrell be ripe for Etceteron? Nicole Kidman for Merisu? Danny Devito for that dwarf with the pet dragon? And of course the pre-eminent question, who would direct it? Why wait for Monty Python to make a LotR parody when we have our very material?

Well then we're back to an adaptation, aren't we -- with hardcore REBophiles rightfully decrying every changed or compressed scene, every altered or cut line of dialogue, every instance where the filmmakers just didn't get the REB tone or sense of humor. I'm sure I'd stand with the REB Purists in that fight.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

[Mister Underhill]

M'lady! *bows*

[Bêthberry]

Hmm, thanks Lalaith, that's what I thought havering meant, but somehow I was expecting Eomer to be accusing you of something more, well, imaginative.

As for Mr. Underhill's sterling attempt to defend the REB Purists, and M'lady's eloquent reply, I find myself called upon to note that M'lady has already begun some sort of negotiation to move REB beyond the rpg stages: she has engaged an editor who has already completed the work of producing a seemless text. And I would hate to hear any kind of defamation of effort extended toward her editor, who is none other than the esteemed Thenamir himself.

My interest is piqued by bringing Del Toro on board. Does anyone think he will have an easier time of it since, as Mr. U astutely points out, this will be a fanfic?

Originally Posted by davem quoting DT

GDT: There's the scope, and the learning curve, because the amount of things I've gotta learn. I fell in love with "The Hobbit" but I'm marrying an entire mythology. It's like meeting the family of a girl you're going to marry… you get them all, and I fell in love with "The Hobbit" and now I'm familiarizing myself with not only the trilogy--the trilogy I only finally read--but every single thing I can read that Tolkien generated about Middle Earth or about him I'm reading, and in terms of the visuals. In order for the two movies to seamlessly involve into the trilogy, I have to literally put myself through the biggest "making of" ever assembled. I'm going to watch all the dailies of "Fellowship" and I'm going to watch most of the dailies of "The Return of the King." I'll watch as much material as I possibly can take, the camera reports... everything. By the end of the second ("Hobbit") movie, you have to be able to have evolved towards "The Lord of the Rings" and feel that it's a complete continuation.

DT is clearly letting the Jackson fans know he is eager to build a seemless bridge to LotR. He's probably eager to avoid any King Kong size disappointments.

[Rimbaud]

Basing this purely, for good reason*, on Pan's Labyrinth, DT would appear to have astonishing skill at a) bridging light and dark, both thematically and visually and b) blurring the lines between fantasy, reality and allegory. Sounds nigh on perfect for this project.

I would say that PJ's involvement would ensure continuity... if that were one of his strengths. Consistency may be a better term; that said, if I were DT, I would be nervous about helming a project with an admiral looking over my shoulder with such a vested personal interest in the film.

* Number of DT films watched: 1

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Using a word employed but once before on the Barrow-Downs (by me, back in the day) isn't imaginative enough for you, Beth? You are demanding. Deglutition of these standards shall surely take a while.

The audience will be expecting more of the same, 'Lord of the Rings 4' if you will. Won't Del Toro either feel under pressure to conform to Jackson's recent films, and relent on giving us his version, or deliver something that contrasts a bit painfully with the Middle-earth that is currently in the public imagination?