The world has changed since that breathy and exciting day in 2008 when Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro announced they were directing The Hobbit. After years of endless rumors — Dominic Monaghan will return! Viggo Mortensen will return! It will be two films! No, it will be one film! No, it will be two! — and vanished release dates, The Hobbit lost it all. MGM went bankrupt, Del Toro walked away, and not even Jackson has committed to directing the film.
The latest dragon sized roadblock to hit the production comes from the Screen Actors Guild. SAG sent out a “Member Alert!” on Friday that advised its members not to accept work on non-union production of The Hobbit. The initial campaign was begun by the New Zealand Actors Equity and its parent, Australian based Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. They’re pressuring actors to attend a meeting on Tuesday, and demand Jackson enter into contract negotiations to ensure The Hobbit meet minimum guidelines on wages, working conditions, residuals, etc.
Jackson fired back with a statement on Deadline Hollywood Daily. It’s long, and very insider baseball, but Jackson refuses to negotiate and insists The Hobbit will follow the non-union rules already established by the Warner Bros and Universal on The Lord of the Rings and King Kong. He insists the NZ Equity doesn’t speak for all Kiwi actors, and that its actually a vast conspiracy by Australia to make New Zealand look bad.
But buried with in all the talk of unions, guilds, and Australian bitterness comes an upsetting bit of news — if the NZ Equity and SAG make too much trouble, the studio will move The Hobbit filming straight to Eastern Europe. Now, Eastern Europe is a lovely region of the world, and many fine films have been shot there. But it’s not Middle Earth. New Zealand is Middle Earth, and that’s all there is to it.
We’ll see how this sorts out (and some of our industry readers may have more insight), but for now it’s just more drama for a production that, as Jackson points out, hasn’t even been greenlit.
8 comments
This movie just needs to wither away. I don't know of too many people clamoring for the Hobbit anyways. It's time has come and gone, and it's been several years since the release of the last one so what else is there to add to the story?
Don't be ridiculous. The Tolkien fanbase is the biggest in the world, bigger than any other genre property out there. "Nobody clamoring for a Hobbit movie"? Yes why would anyone clamor for a prequel to the most successful movie trilogy of all time, both critically and commercially. Why would anyone care about a film translation of one of the most beloved children's book ever written, by the team who brought care, passion and love to a near perfect adaption of The Lord of the Rings? After all nearly 10 years have past… I remember the Phantom Menace was met with a wall of apathetic non nonchalance in the months before it's release, there was tumbleweed outside the theater on opening night I recall. What a stupid retarded comment to make.
But he's a Derek. And Derek's don't run to Eastern Europe.
Maybe its time for Jackson to take heed of the signs. The cosmos does not want these films to be made. Disaster could engulf this production if it does go ahead. Jackson should count his blessings that the LOTR trilogy was as successful as it was and gracefully retire from The Hobbit.
Maybe this is a sign to finally get rid of unions and their absurd rules……
I spoke to a mayor in Louisiana once, and he told me that as soon as the budget of a film exceeds a million dollors, or whatever the exact cut off point is, the union thugs come knocking. Everyone must be union at that point. And when I say thugs, I mean they had gold chains, shirt unbuttoned half way down, ready to literally fight. Many movies have left California to get AWAY from the oppressive union rules…….
" there was tumbleweed outside the theater on opening night I recall." Mumbles you recall incorrectly. There were lines out the yin yang.. It broke a million in 5 days.. I am not saying it was good, it wasn't. I like everything else you said but just needed to correct that. In other words I would love a Hobbit movie made with the same respect TLOTR trilogy was…
@#6 – Czar: Check your sarcasm detector buddy.
Sorry just my auto defense of Star Wars went up. It happens even after my childhood is slashed to death by GL. I am so sick of having to defend SW. TOT was great, even the ewoks were bearable. I work in a private school and there is a kid that will not even look at ANH because of TPM.. Breaks my heart.
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