- It's a sad TPT this week, unfortunately, as Tyler Perry has announced that he'll be ending his long-running TBS sitcom House of Payne after 222 episodes. But on the bright side, from those ashes shall rise a new Tyler Perry's phoenix: For Better or Worse, a TBS dramedy dealing with the relationship of Michael Jai White and Tasha Smith from the Why Did I Get Married? series. It's a Tyler Perry Tuesday miracle. Hallelujer.
- AMC Theaters will be showing the extended cuts of the Lord of the Rings films spread out over the last three Tuesdays in June. Watch out for bullies.
- Mireille Enos is in talks to play Brad Pitt's wife in World War Z, which would be great for the star of AMC's The Killing, because what woman wouldn't want to marry Brad Pitt? The guy is a classic hunk.
- Universal has announced a April 6, 2012 planned theatrical release date for American Reunion. The release dates for the two or three American Pie straight-to-video spin-offs Eugene Levy will squeeze in before then are forthcoming.
Big day in nerd news, everyone. First word of a Ray Bradbury adaptation for you hard sci-fi guys, now news Peter Jackson may direct The Hobbit films. According to Heat Vision, Warner Bros. and New Line are in talks with the director to continue his work finishing off the Tolkien adaptations, providing a unified vision across the Ring Lord films. If this goes through, expect high fantasy-themed revelry all weekend (sword swinging, celebratory incantations, Mûmakil vuvuzela-blowing).
Responding to some questions on his "E-Post" (apparently what old guys are calling blogs now), Sir Ian McKellen has announced he would indeed return to Middle Earth for The Hobbit if the opportunity comes.
Q: ...Will you again be our Gandalf in "The Hobbit" now that the deal is settled?
A: Yes I will, if Peter Jackson and I have anything to do with it, he being the producer and me being, on the whole, a very lucky actor.
Continuing the question & answer section, McKellen went on to respond to the second most pertinent query regarding the fantasy saga: When shooting Lord of the Rings, all of the key actors totally paired off into gay couples, right? Shockingly, McKellen denied such gossip, claiming these "straight" actors had "girlfriends", and blaming the rumors on "the fevered imagination of slashers."
If you ask me, his deft use of the term "slasher" asks the more pressing question: Sir Ian reads gay fan fiction?
E-Post: Correspondence with Ian McKellen [McKellen.com]
I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy epics and, therefore, the massive orc-driven spectacle that was The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. But at the very least, I can respect that they'll well made films worthy of the attention and special editions of Risk they're given, and I've shared the hope that New Line would choose a successor worthy of Peter Jackson to make The Hobbit. Sam Raimi had been the favorite for some time, but now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, it seems Guillermo del Toro is the frontrunner.
It's all still being negotiated, so don't get your Hobbit holes too wet yet, but del Toro at the helm could mean faithful prequels that you don't have to attempt to overlook when examining the series (see Star Wars prequels, obviously). Plus, there's never been a better chance for The Hobbit to have nightmarish creatures with misplaced eyes, and that's something even we fantasy cynics can get behind.
Del Toro doubles up for 'Hobbit' [Hollywood Reporter]
Elijah Wood has sent shockwaves through the geek community with the comment that, according to an email from Peter Jackson, while the first of two planned Hobbit will cover the book, the second will serve as a bridge between that and Lord of the Rings.
I haven’t spoken to him directly about it [but] I’ve e-mailed him, and as far as I know the two films that they’re doing, one will be ‘The Hobbit’ and another will take place between the 60 years that happened between ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings.'
The problem with this? That aside from some brief mentions of a few events that occur in the interim period, there is no actual information as to what happened between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, meaning any film covering that span would basically be glorified fan-fiction (minus the standard fan-fic inclusion of furry erotica).
For once, can't we just be happy with what we have, and not try to bleed every bit of life out of this? If there were a story meant to be told between books, I'm sure Tolkien would have written it. Let's just make a televised Hobbit Holiday Special and call it a day. Or at least leave in the furry erotica.
Elijah Wood Wants To Go Back Again To 'The Hobbit' [MTV]
After months of litigation over money, kingship of Middle Earth, and whether Aragorn or Legolas is the dreamier warrior (come on, Jackson, did you not see Legolas slide down stairs on a shield?), Peter Jackson and New Line have finally come to an agreement that will allow him to executive produce the two planned Hobbit films.
Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, December 18, 2007) Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM); Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:
MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.
Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.
Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) Trilogy.
Said Peter Jackson, “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. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”
“Peter Jackson has proven himself as the filmmaker who can bring the extraordinary imagination of Tolkien to life and we full heartedly agree with the fans worldwide who know he should be making ‘The Hobbit,’” said Sloan, MGM’s Chairman and CEO. “Now that we are all in agreement on ‘The Hobbit,’ we can focus on assembling the production team that will capture this phenomenal tale on film.”
Bob Shaye, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO comments, “We are very pleased we have been able to resolve our differences, and that Peter and Fran will be actively and creatively involved with ‘The Hobbit’ movies. We know they will bring the same passion, care and talent to these films that they so ably accomplished with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy.”
So do you think he'll direct, too? Maybe his friend Sam Raimi? Let Michael Bay throw in more explosions and Will Smith shouting "Welcome to Middle Earth!"?
PETER JACKSON AND NEW LINE CINEMA JOIN WITH MGM TO PRODUCE “THE HOBBIT” [Hobbit Blog]
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