Jan 23 2009 Double M Working on 'The Hobbit'
I hope you're as into the amazing-yet-predictably-stylized art of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola as much as I am (did you rent Disney's Atlantis just to see his production designs in the special features?) because then you'll be excited that Guillermo del Toro has revealed he'll again be working with the artist on The Hobbit:
With work on “The Hobbit” really starting to move forward, Guillermo del Toro updated MTV News this week with exclusive scripting, casting and pre-production news, including confirmation that “Hellboy” creator Mike Mignola will be coming aboard for early visualization.“We are sketching and designing with Weta’s John Howe, and [Adam Lee],” del Toro offered. “Mike Mignola is coming soon. He’s going to do a stint on the design team.”
Now you'll know what's up when Middle Earth is suddenly filled with floating crowns, statues set amidst showers of falling leaves, blocky shadows of dense blackness, and Nazi zombies.
Trust me, that was a really witty comment if you're intimately familiar with his art.
Apr 25 2008 Del Toro is Definitely Doing 'The Hobbit'
Guillermo del Toro, director of Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth--and the same man who, at NYCC, told a 15-year-old that "the pubes are popping"--has been formally announced as the director of The Hobbit and its planned sequel. This had been rumored as a nearly sure thing for some time, but this was the first absolute confirmation. I, for one, am pretty confident del Toro has the skills to pull this off. Particularly the scenes where Gandalf shoves his eyeballs in his palms and chases Bilbo around.
Guillermo del Toro to direct 'Hobbit' [Variety]
Mar 26 2008 McKellen Confirms He'd Don Robe, Beard, Long Hair Again
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]
Feb 12 2008 Some Other Crap That Happened...
- Those greedy bastards at the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien are under the impression that having created the lush world, characters, and entire story of The Lord of the Rings entitles them to some percentage of the profits, and are suing New Line. The suit may delay or halt production of The Hobbit, but shouldn't effect Asylum Studio's direct-to-DVD The Hole Midget. (Thanks, Eccoli) [Yahoo!]
- In further lawsuit news, now that production on Watchmen has begun, Fox is suing Warner over rights issues on the graphic novel adaptation. Fox claims they hold exclusive copyright and contract right; Warner says they own, like, all the original issues, and Fox only started liking it after liking comics became cool. [Hollywood Reporter]
- After doing what most critics admit was a serviceable job with Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men, the Coen Brothers are set to adapt Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union for screens. Needless to say, it will be almost definitely be really, really good. [Variety]
- My One and Only, a comedy based on the childhood of George Hamilton, has nabbed Renne Zellwegger to play a glamorous mother searching for a wealthy father to raise her sons. Casting is still looking for young males between 8 and 14 who are also strangely orange. [Variety]
Jan 28 2008 Del Toro in Talks To Direct 'The Hobbit'
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]
Aug 14 2007 Sam Raimi Directing, Peter Jackson Producing The Hobbit
Following up on the earlier rumor that Sam Raimi might be taking over to helm The Hobbit, IESB is reporting Peter Jackson is finally settling disputes with New Line and has stepped on board to produce, putting Raimi in the director's seat. I will be starting the line for tickets tomorrow morning.
If you ask me, this is a pretty solid second choice that New Line's scoring. I've always been a firm believer in the idea that if you can't get your dream girl, might as well get her slightly uglier best friend, right? Or if not her, maybe some old, fat, drunk whore at a local bar. Then turn to the old, fat, drunk man who's dressed like a woman. If not him, how about pantyhose sewn into the shape of a human and stuffed with old socks?
