November 2006
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We fully back Wingnut's stance on not entering into discussions with New Line Cinema until the resolution of their court case, to us that seems like a sensible choice and one which protects their artistic and professional integrity. Although their decision to give the job to another party comes as a surprise to us, and will be unpopular with many fans of Jackson's trilogy, the decision does not worry us greatly. Of course we do believe Peter would be the ideal man for the project; however we feel that after 11 years engulfed in the Tolkien universe, it is now time that Peter explored new ideas. A new outlook on the book by an enthusiastic director (just like Peter was when he was offered Lord of the Rings) could bring something fresh and original to the project. This is something that a project like The Hobbit greatly needs. We feel that just because Peter isn’t holding the reins this time round does not mean that the original creative team, such as WETA Workshop/Digital and the beautiful NZ landscape could not be there shaping the Middle Earth again. -Lewis Davies & Peter Gunter Webmasters of Peter Jackson’s OFFICIAL Fanclub
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Well heres your answer. PJ and company have released a statement about The Hobbir production. I think theres going to be quite a few upset ringers out there! Dear One Ringers, As you know, there's been a lot of speculation about The Hobbit. We are often asked about when or if this film will ever be made. We have always responded that we would be very interested in making the film - if it were offered to us to make. You may also be aware that Wingnut Films has bought a lawsuit against New Line, which resulted from an audit we undertook on part of the income of The Fellowship of the Ring. Our attitude with the lawsuit has always been that since it's largely based on differences of opinion about certain accounting practices, we would like an independent body - whether it be a judge, a jury, or a mediator, to look at the issues and make an unbiased ruling. We are happy to accept whatever that ruling is. In our minds, it's not much more complex than that and that's exactly why film contracts include right-to-audit clauses. However, we have always said that we do not want to discuss The Hobbit with New Line until the lawsuit over New Line's accounting practices is resolved. This is simple common sense - you cannot be in a relationship with a film studio, making a complex, expensive movie and dealing with all the pressures and responsibilities that come with the job, while an unresolved lawsuit exists. We have also said that we do not want to tie settlement of the lawsuit to making a film of The Hobbit. In other words, we would have to agree to make The Hobbit as a condition of New Line settling our lawsuit. In our minds this is not the right reason to make a film and if a film of The Hobbit went ahead on this basis, it would be doomed. Deciding to make a movie should come from the heart - it's not a matter of business convenience. When you agree to make a film, you're taking on a massive commitment and you need to be driven by an absolute passion to want to get the story on screen. It's that passion, and passion alone, that gives the movie its imagination and heart. To us it is not a cold-blooded business decision. A couple of months ago there was a flurry of Hobbit news in the media. MGM, who own a portion of the film rights in The Hobbit, publicly stated they wanted to make the film with us. It was a little weird at the time because nobody from New Line had ever spoken to us about making a film of The Hobbit and the media had some fun with that. Within a week or two of those stories, our Manager Ken Kamins got a call from the co-president of New Line Cinema, Michael Lynne, who in essence told Ken that the way to settle the lawsuit was to get a commitment from us to make the Hobbit, because "that's how these things are done". Michael Lynne said we would stand to make much more money if we tied the lawsuit and the movie deal together and this may well be true, but it's still the worst reason in the world to agree to make a film. Several years ago, Mark Ordesky told us that New Line have rights to make not just The Hobbit but a second "LOTR prequel", covering the events leading up to those depicted in LOTR. Since then, we've always assumed that we would be asked to make The Hobbit and possibly this second film, back to back, as we did the original movies. We assumed that our lawsuit with the studio would come to a natural conclusion and we would then be free to discuss our ideas with the studio, get excited and jump on board. We've assumed that we would possibly get started on development and design next year, whilst filming The Lovely Bones. We even had a meeting planned with MGM executives to talk through our schedule. However last week, Mark Ordesky called Ken and told him that New Line would no longer be requiring our services on the Hobbit and the LOTR 'prequel'. This was a courtesy call to let us know that the studio was now actively looking to hire another filmmaker for both projects. Ordesky said that New Line has a limited time option on the film rights they have obtained from Saul Zaentz (this has never been conveyed to us before), and because we won't discuss making the movies until the lawsuit is resolved, the studio is going to have to hire another director. Given that New Line are committed to this course of action, we felt at the very least, we owed you, the fans, a straightforward account of events as they have unfolded for us. We have always had the greatest support from The Ringers and we are very sorry our involvement with The Hobbit has been ended in this way. Our journey into Tolkien's world started with a phone call from Ken Kamins to Harvey Weinstein in Nov 1995 and ended with a phone call from Mark Ordesky to Ken in Nov 2006. It has been a great 11 years. This outcome is not what we anticipated or wanted, but neither do we see any positive value in bitterness and rancor. We now have no choice but to let the idea of a film of The Hobbit go and move forward with other projects. We send our very best wishes to whomever has the privilege of making The Hobbit and look forward to seeing the film on the big screen. Warmest regards to you all, and thanks for your incredible support over the years. We got to go there - but not back again ... Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh
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It's finally here! After a long wait, Brian Sibley's excellent biography on Peter Jackson has at last been released. Brian was granted a unique opportunity to work alongside Peter and detail the making of his films and his life as one of the worlds most famous directors. What’s great about the book is that we for the first time get to read about abandoned film ideas, see exclusive photos from his past and discover what its like to be the most famous NZ export since Anchor Butter! This is the first and only OFFICIAL book on Peter and is definitely a must read! Many thanks to Harper Collins for forwarding us this press release: PETER JACKSON: A Film-maker’s Journey Author Brian Sibley Pub date 6/11/2006 The only authorised and fully illustrated insight into the life and career of the award-winning director, from his childhood film projects up to King Kong, together with Jackson's revealing personal account of his six-year quest to film The Lord of the Rings. Once, Peter Jackson was a name unknown to all but a small band of loyal fans and fellow film-makers. Now he is the newest member of Hollywood's elite fellowship, with his name on the most successful movie trilogy of all time. Written with Jackson's full participation, this extensive biography, illustrated with never-before-seen photos from Jackson's personal collection, tells the inside story of how a New Zealander became Hollywood's hottest property – from the early cult classics, through Academy Award™-winning success with Kate Winslet's Heavenly Creatures, the abandoned King Kong remake, and the filming of The Lord of the Rings, a project which was abandoned two years into pre-production, rejected by most of the other studios and then picked up by New Line Cinema in the biggest gamble in film history. Drawing upon interviews with fifty of Peter Jackson's colleagues and contemporaries, author Brian Sibley paints a portrait of a true auteur, a man gifted with single-minded determination and an artist's vision. Jackson himself is both revealing and insightful about his entire film-making life, from his first childhood steps filming in Super 8 to the grand realisation of his life’s dream: King Kong. Together, these joint narratives provide a truly unique and compellinginsight into one of the finest cinematic minds at work today. • The only authorised biography of Peter Jackson • Covers his entire life and career up to and including King Kong • Lifts the lid on the making of The Lord of the Rings, with surprising revelations • Fully illustrated with never-before-seen photos from Jackson’s own collection Go on be a bastard! Order a copy today by clicking the banner at the top of the page :) To celebrate the release of the book we have managed to secure 5 copies of the books for a TBHL competition! That’s right you bastards can get your hands on one without having to do the long tedious walk to the book shop! Of course you will have to answer some questions to get in with a chance of winning, so best of luck to all of you! Competition ends 24th November 2006
