Johnathan Rhys-Davies doesn’t want to be in The Hobbit films, much to the dismay of Lord of the Rings fans everywhere.

Of course his character from Lord of the Rings, Gimli, doesn’t appear since this movie is set before he was born. But most had hoped, even assumed, that he’d be brought in to play Gimli’s father who does figure prominently into The Hobbit story. Unfortunately, Rhy-Davies just isn’t interested. He says, “I’ve already been asked and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t. I have already completely ruled it out. There’s a sentimental part of me that would love to be involved again. Really I am not sure my face can take that sort of punishment any more.”

If you’ve watched any of the behind the scenes material from Lord of the Rings you know what a struggle it was for John just to make it through filming on the first trilogy. His makeup was brutal and caused an allergic reaction. He had trouble breathing inside his costume and let’s face it, he’s not getting younger. Just doing Lord of the Rings was a struggle for him, a struggle which he embraced and an experience which he loved, but now that he’s even older and presumably even more fragile it’s easy to understand why he might be unable to take the punishment of putting back on his dwarf costume.

It’s a lot of punishment to go through for the part, and it’s not like he needs it for his career. Its unfortunate, but hey there are other actors out there who can play this part and the movies are still going to be great.

Source: Cinema Blend

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Good news for fans of The Lord of the Rings films, Ian McKellan has confirmed that he’ll be happy to return for The Hobbit films as Gandalf the Grey.

The first thing he said might come as a shock: “I don’t want to play Gandalf again.” But calm down– what he means is that he doesn’t want to play any more Gandalf-like characters, which means that Michael Gambon can hang on to that role as Dumbledore. McKellen continued, “But I played the best wizard, and I’m happy to revisit him, which I shall do in The Hobbit with Guillermo del Toro.”

As for returning as Gandalf the Grey rather than The White, McKellen says he’s thrilled. “Grey Gandalf is my favorite. Peter Jackson’s too, we always preferred Gandalf the Grey. Peter liked him because he got down and dirty. He slept in the hedgerows; he was closer to the earth and not quite so spiritual. He’s also funnier — he’s got more variety to him. We thought there was more scope in that Gandalf.”

I’m glad he’s all about it, I can’t imagine anyone else playing the iconic wizard. Those two films are going to be so huge when they finally hit the big screens in a couple of years. I’m looking forward to them, but there’s not too much reason to get excited yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Source: Cinema Blend

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The Hobbit has been plagued by litigation for ages, finally it’s all been settled. The film can finally be made without restriction!

Removing a roadblock from production of “The Hobbit” films, New Line has settled with the Tolkien Trust and HarperCollins in a suit over profit participation by Tolkien’s heirs in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Terms of the settlement, announced Tuesday, were confidential. The trust noted that the settlement allows the New Line/MGM films based on Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” to go forward without legal challenge.

“We are pleased to put this litigation behind us,” said Alan Horn, prexy of New Line parent Warner Bros. “We all look foward to a mutually productive and beneficial relationship in the future.”

The case had been set to go to trial Oct. 19 in Los Angeles Superior Court. Shooting on the two films, directed by Guillermo del Toro, is expected to begin next year with releases set for late 2011 and 2012.

This is great news for all those who are anxiously awaiting the release of these films. They are still a couple years off, but at least they’re going to happen now. Now lets hope Del Toro finishes the script soon so they can get cracking.

Source: Variety

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Dire news came down the pipe about the possible cancellation of the upcoming films based on The Hobbit book from J.R.R. Tolkien because of a major lawsuit. Even with the possibility still present, construction has begun to rebuild Hobbiton for the films.

TheOneRing.net reports that rebuilding of Hobbiton has begun for the filming of The Hobbit and its sequel. The first film is scheduled for a December 2011 release, followed by the second film in December of 2012. The site says:

The re-building of Hobbiton has begun, with the planting of hedgerows and fruit trees. An extension to the path that passes in front of Bag End has been marked out also. There will be several new Hobbit holes dotted along its length.

I really hope the films get made, director Guillermo del Toro is such a perfect choice for the pictures. And hopefully they will make their 2011 and 2012 projected release dates. Only time will tell but I’m betting it’ll happen.

Source: Coming Soon

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Unfortunately The Hobbit isn’t coming along as well as planned and may never happen at all.

According to Peter Jackson, who spoke to Empire, the script isn’t done. “No, we won’t be announcing Bilbo for a little while. We’re starting to think about casting, but we’re knee-deep in the script right now. And when we do go to actors, they’re probably going to ask to see a script, so we’re powering ahead with getting the first draft done.”

Then again, if a Tolkien family lawsuit (yes, another LOTR lawsuit) takes its toll, the film might not happen at all…

The bottom line is that the Tolkien family claims that they’re owed $220m from New Line to cover back profit payments from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The family heirs are suing New Line claiming breach of contract, and as part of the suit are asking to recover all further film rights to Tolkein’s work. If that somehow went through, The Hobbit film (as currently set up at new Line and MGM) would be toast.

Sad news, hopefully this movie will see the light of day, but don’t expect it until around 2013.

Source: /film

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Here’s the latest on the upcoming The Hobbit from the filmmakers.

Quite impressively, they’ve got the scoop on Peter Jackson and GuillermoDel Toro’s revised plans for The Hobbit. Previously we’d been told that they were going to make two films, the first an adaptation the novel and the second to bridge the gap between that book and The Fellowship of the Ring. Now, however, it seems that The Hobbit itself is going to take up two full length pictures all by itself.

Here’s Del Toro:

We’ve decided to have The Hobbit span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur.

And Jackson:

We decided it would be a mistake to try to cram everything into one movie. The essential brief was to do The Hobbit, and it allows us to make The Hobbit in a little more style, if you like, of the trilogy.

Even with all of these plans, it’ll be years before we even see the first film, but I’m sure it will be great! 

Source: /film

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Guillermo del Toro�did a live Blu-Ray chat for the�Hellboy II: The Golden Army users where he announced plans for the two upcoming Hobbit films.

He confirmed that a shoot lasting just over a year - 370 days to be precise - will commence in 2010 for the two “The Hobbit” films.

He added that we will see the as much of the goblin kindgom, Smaug and the Spiders of Mirkwood that he can include - “we will be pushing them to the edge of technology where we will fuse animatronics and cgi into a seamless new art form in creating creatures”�he stated�during the chat.

The technology that will be available in 2011 I’m sure will amaze us beyond anything we’ve seen in the world of fantasy filmmaking. I’m already excited to see it’s still 3-4 years off.�

Source: Dark Horizons

�

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Guillermo del Toro is working with Gris Grimly to create a stop-motion claymation Pinocchio with his famously darker flavor.

Variety elaborated on the news, revealing that the film will be co-directed by Grimly and Adam Parrish King, with del Toro producing and co-writing the screenplay.

In typical del Toro fashion, this is not your average child-friendly Pinocchio tale. He tells Bloody Disgusting:

We are trying to get a full stop-motion version of Gris Grimly�s PINOCCHIO off the ground, with the Jim Henson Company. The idea came from Gris, and everybody loves his book about it. The original story is far more perverse and spooky and semi-necrophilia vibe to it in certain aspects. Gris certainly has that vein in him, he wants to do this with that original spookiness in it, we are trying to get it going.

The Jim Henson Company is the behind it and we are currently working on the screenplay! Its not coming to a screen near you any time soon, even if it were to begin today it would be about three years in the making, but we are working to make it happen. A full-scale puppet universe takes time.

This will obviously be a much darker re-imagining, I look forward to this. Pinocchio was one of my favorites when I was young.�

Source: /film

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The director of Hellboy II, Pan’s Labyrinth and the upcoming Hobbit films is booked through 2017!�

Universal � which has a three-year first-look deal with the helmer inked in June ‘07 � and del Toro are making a long-term commitment by setting up four directing projects, including remakes of “Frankenstein,” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “Slaughterhouse-Five.”

The fourth project is an adaptation of “Drood,” a Dan Simmons novel acquired by U that will be published in February by Little, Brown.

Of course, del Toro’s first priority is New Line and MGM’s “The Hobbit,” to which he has committed the next five years. He has begun writing “Hobbit” with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, collaborating via video conferencing and trips to New Zealand every three weeks.

While it’s difficult, if not impossible, to plan projects five years into the future, at this point U execs think “Drood” is the most likely to be del Toro’s first post-”Hobbit” directing vehicle.

In addition to the four pics, the studio still has its sights set on del Toro’s pet project, an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness.”

Talk about job stability! He’s great, I’m looking forward to anything he makes.�

Source: Variety

�

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Finally some word on the upcoming Hobbit films.�

It’s now official: The Lord of the Rings screenwriting team of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens will join The Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro to pen the screenplay for the two planned Hobbit movies. Sources tell EW.com that the scribes’ deals are all complete and they have already begun writing. (With shooting scheduled to begin Fall 2009, at the earliest, in New Zealand, the quartet better get busy!) The Hobbit will center on Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo Baggins, and his initial discovery of the immensely-powerful ring. New Line and MGM plan to release the two films Christmas 2011 and Christmas 2012.

Funny how they are making 2 movies out of one much smaller book than The Lord of The Rings trilogy. I’m sure the films will be great.�

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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