NEW YORK (AP) -- Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," a planned prequel to the blockbuster trilogy "The Lord of the Rings."
Peter Jackson is set to oversee the film adaptation of "The Hobbit."
Jackson, who directed the "Rings" trilogy, will serve as executive producer for "The Hobbit." A director for the prequel films has yet to be named.
Relations between Jackson and New Line had soured after "Rings," despite a collective worldwide box office gross of nearly $3 billion -- an enormous success. The two sides nevertheless were able to reconcile, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) splitting "The Hobbit" 50/50, spokemen for both studios said Tuesday.
"I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line," Jackson said in a statement. "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."
Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made. Production is set to begin in 2009 with a released planned for 2010, with the sequel scheduled for a 2011 release.
New Line Cinema is owned by Time Warner. (Time Warner is the parent company of CNN.) Sony and Comcast are among the owners of MGM.
6 comments:
Nice! Good to hear that Jackson is onboard.
It'll be interesting to see how they break the book up into two seperate movies.
I still can't get over how much he has changed since LOTR.
PS: Even though I feel the way I do about religion and a "higher power," do you have to always say "fucking god?" It makes my ears burn.
Thor loves the ladies.
Awesome. I can only watch on watch my extended LOTR trilogy so many times . . .
Nice title. Better get 'em all out while you've still got a couple of months.
I think that's going to be my favorite thing about the Chosen One coming in a few months.
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