Lord of the Rings ... Trilogy? Not so fast!

[Subway]

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/b...cle2390834.ece

Tolkien Jr completes Lord of Rings

...

The author's son Christopher, using his late father's voluminous notes, has painstakingly completed the book, left unfinished by the author when he died in 1971. The work has taken the best part of three decades, and will signify the first "new" Tolkien book since The Silmarillion was published posthumously in 1977.

Yeah, prepare for a fourth movie.

Fredi

[FlashLackey]

damn. he was smart to wait until there was a major hollywood release with millions of newly indoctrinated little hobbits.

should make millions.

(what ever happened with Peter Jackson getting fired for The Hobbit? do they have a replacement?)

[VENGEANCE MX]

(what ever happened with Peter Jackson getting fired for The Hobbit? do they have a replacement?)

http://www.theonering.net/staticnews/1163993546.html

[FlashLackey]

thanks for the link.

man, that statement seemed recklessly unprofessional. it confirms my initial suspicion when i heard this news way back that it was a bunch of artists in over their heads on a business matter. to do all of that name-dropping and weepy talk about movies coming from the heart, etc. is really bad form, imo. if money wasn't an issue for them, they wouldn't be asking for a third party to mediate. they are obviously pulling for that because they can only gain from it.

anyway, in the "update", it wasnt clear to me whether or not that was before or after the statement. did they reconcile and have Jackson set to direct it? personally, i hope they get someone else.

[TheOriginalFlashDavo]

Reads to me like someone just stating the facts to clear up a lot of rumour and innuendo. And I don't know of many LOTR fans who would be happy with someone other than Jackson directing. Nobody else could have made the trilogy as well as he did. Look at the wannabes, Narnia and the like. The difference between someone who lives, breathes and loves a story.

Personally I hope MGM pull rank and ensure he's on board. And I'm looking forward to his Dambusters remake, though I did love the original!

[FlashLackey]

he could have stated the facts relevant to the public without name-dropping and carrying on with platitudes. what he did was unprofessional and basically finger-pointing. all that was accomplished was to create a PR situation for his potential employers to deal with should they later decide to work things out.

im a LOTR fan who would be happy to see someone other than Jackson try. so, count me as an exception to your rule. i've seen enough of "Jackson-style" work in the previous films to be bored with it aesthetically now. i definitely have to disagree with "nobody else could have made the trilogy as well." I don't think thats possible to know without giving someone else a shot. i did enjoy Peter Jacksons versions. but, i give a lot of credit for that enjoyment to pure nostalgia rather than craftsmanship. there are some details of the stories that he took liberties with that i didnt like. i wasn't crazy about the handling of some of the characters (particularly golem) either. came pretty damn close to jar-jar binks imo.

Narnia was a piece of crap. but, i dont think its fair to hold that up as an example of the average of what could be had from someone else. too many outside factors. you never know, a different director could do something unexpected and great with it... i also always felt that The Hobbit kind of stood alone compared to the other books anyway.

[Visionray]

I hated Narnia, it was so cheesy, I was shocked at how well it did in the box office and how well it was reviewed, I thought it was utter garbage to be honest.

As far as The Hobbit, I always thought Jackson would be the best director for it because he actually IS a Hobbit, and therefore has inside knowledge about middle earth.

[swampy]

the book was pretty cheesey though.

pseudo religious clap trap.

[aversion]

This isn't part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it's just another book set in middle earth, there have been 7 of them up to now I think.

[silverx2]

Reads to me like someone just stating the facts to clear up a lot of rumour and innuendo. And I don't know of many LOTR fans who would be happy with someone other than Jackson directing. Nobody else could have made the trilogy as well as he did. Look at the wannabes, Narnia and the like. The difference between someone who lives, breathes and loves a story.

Personally I hope MGM pull rank and ensure he's on board. And I'm looking forward to his Dambusters remake, though I did love the original!

naria's special effects people were actually peter jacksons special effects team.

[RUSHVision]

Just goes to show you how important the Director's role can be. The effects people can be the most talented in the world, but they still basically end up doing what they're told to do. If the Director's vision is weak then so will be the end product.

And as for Peter Jackson, I'm behind him 100%. He earned every single penny that is being withheld from him. I have to disagree that the success and brilliance that is LOTR had more to do with viewer's nostalgia than his prowess as a film-maker. He made a spectacular and epic film ...and isn't he the first to ever shoot a trilogy back to back like that? Sure, he had an incredible story and massive fan base to work with, but people have had that before and failed to make the most of it. Narnia is a good example, so are many of the superhero/comic-based movies that have come out. Jackson built a big money machine and he should get a healthy dose of the output.

[TheOriginalFlashDavo]

Just goes to show you how important the Director's role can be. The effects people can be the most talented in the world, but they still basically end up doing what they're told to do. If the Director's vision is weak then so will be the end product.

Exactly. Look at what Lucas did to the last 3 Star Wars movies. All the technology and special effects in the world doesn't create an engaging movie.

Yeah, I'm obviously in agreement with RUSHvision. I was actually dreading the trilogy initially, as overall most adaptations of great books have been less than great. And with LOTR being such a huge project in every way, I thought it would end up being another so-so trilogy much like the last 3 Star Wars movies, where I'd have to watch them just because of the history, but not really enjoying them as much.

However it ended up blowing me away, and while there were compromises that had to be made to turn a book of such fantasy into "reality" on the screen, it was as close as anyone could have hoped for imho. But, that's not something everyone has to agree on, such is variables of taste and opinion.

But yeah, I go along with the view that The Hobbit will not be quite as good a film without Jackson as director. Just my 2c.

And I'd really like to know which other current director has been able to bring such warmth to a movie that was based so much on special effects? Any movie I can think of was simply a stereotypical Hollywood blockbuster with little or no heart, not something I would say about the LOTR movies. Interested to hear what others think?

[FlashLackey]

I say this as someone that owns the special editions for the whole trilogy. I get bored with the aesthetics by the end. It became like watching the same movie three times with a bunch of the same props swirled around in a different manner. I don't see how always having the same director and same visual interperetation adds to the experience. I think it would have been interesting to see each one directed by someone else. It just would have been more expensive for the studio (probably unrealistically so). Peter Jackson is not the only person in the world that likes LOTR enough to make an effort in deciding what kind of armor the orcs should have.

Regarding Star Wars, what about the original? Same director but was good imo.

[TheOriginalFlashDavo]

But, that's not something everyone has to agree on, such is variables of taste and opinion.

[TheOriginalFlashDavo]

And I'd really like to know which other current director has been able to bring such warmth to a movie that was based so much on special effects?

[FlashLackey]

i also dont get the idea that he deserves all that he asks for. doesnt the company that made the thing possible at all deserve something too?

after all, if it wasn't for them, Peter Jackson would just be sitting around in Hobbiton, reading LOTR and staying up late to watch King Kong re-runs on AMC.

[Visionray]

I personally think that directors get WAY WAY WAY too much credit for the quality of the films they make. I despise the term "A Joe Schmo film", because film is such a collaborative effort, yet it's always the director who takes most of the credit and claims every single piece of this film was "his vision". Makes me yak.

You know, people act as if Peter Jackson was a one man shop who did everything on his own. Very rarely do directors have 100% creative control over their movies. The part where he was probably most influential was in his script writing process, where his geeky knowledge of all things middle earth helped create a good adaptation from novel to film. However, I believe any talented director such as Ridley Scott could have pulled it off based on the same script and the same special effects team.

[silverx2]

I personally think that directors get WAY WAY WAY too much credit for the quality of the films they make. I despise the term "A Joe Schmo film", because film is such a collaborative effort, yet it's always the director who takes most of the credit and claims every single piece of this film was "his vision". Makes me yak.

You know, people act as if Peter Jackson was a one man shop who did everything on his own. Very rarely do directors have 100% creative control over their movies. The part where he was probably most influential was in his script writing process, where his geeky knowledge of all things middle earth helped create a good adaptation from novel to film. However, I believe any talented director such as Ridley Scott could have pulled it off based on the same script and the same special effects team.

i ****ing dare you to tell me anything uwe boll has put out is anything better then dog poop.

JAckson used the special effects people because its his company.

they filmed all threes films together to save money because they were not sure how sucsesfull the films would be.

Jackson is doing this because they had a contract which the company did not uphold.

everyone knows there is only one return. and its of the jedi.

[FlashLackey]

And I'd really like to know which other current director has been able to bring such warmth to a movie that was based so much on special effects?

Did you know who Peter Jackson was before the LOTR trilogy? No reason why the next person to direct it should already be known.

That brings me back to my original point. He was chosen (surely amongst other options) by the company for a chance of a lifetime (and a lot of cash). In return, he has a payment disagreement and publicly points out things individuals said and talks self-rightous about film-making not being about money, as if him wanting more money wasn't at the root of the disagreement. He sounds like a Best Buy employee writing a letter to the store manager, whining that he didn't get an extra hour of over-time pay (after already being fired).

[TheOriginalFlashDavo]

LMAF at Ridley Scott being able to produce something with as much warmth as LOTR, sorry.

And not being able to point out another movie only reinforces the point it would seem.