The Hobbit begins filming on March 21, 2011. If all you wanted was that news, please click to the next interesting article of your choosing.
Before the relaunch of this site I had an article queued in the backend entitled ‘Why Peter Jackson will not direct ‘The Hobbit‘. I was sure he’d not dip his toe back into those waters. It was a step back. It was slumming. After Guillermo del Toro left, it was my belief that anyone could step in. Guillermo is a strong willed and visionary guy and he would have brought his own temperature to the production in addition to being respectful of what came before. Once he left I figured they could bring anyone in and let Peter’s machine steer them right and since they’d be surrounded by folks with a decade of experience making Tolkein films audiences would be sated and the phenomenal talent [his last movie notwithstanding] that is Peter Jackson could be better used elsewhere.
Boy was I wrong. Jackson came back and a lot of expected things fell into place regarding casting (shit, Martin Freeman IS Bilbo Baggins) and scope and release expectations. The Hobbit essentially is going to be exactly what the general public will want it to be. And it’ll be very good, though I still think the only time to have made this story would have been before the trilogy that is so much deeper and richer and epic.
Then Jackson went into the hospital and a part of me hoped it meant someone else would direct the movies. Not because I want Peter Jackson to be ill, on the contrary, I’m a huge fan (In the late 80’s I went to a record show an hour and a half away to snag a copy of Bad Taste before anyone knew what it or he was). I just think as a film audience always in need of more reliable visionary directors we’re best served with Peter Jackson doing something else in addition to this sure thing. I’m selfish like that.
But either way you look at it, we’re about to start seeing and sharing a whole mess of Hobbit related updates that will not abate until December of 2013 when the second film lands.
And then we’ll be covering the Extended Editions. And then the Master Set which features all five films. And then the Extended Editions of all five. And then the Extended Saga where they’re all edited together. And then the…
8 comments
I’ll always, unabashedly drink the Kool-Aid of these films. Bring it on, I say.
Considering what his last two movies brought to the table, I’m not surprised that he’d feel compelled to go back to the well. And even if he didn’t feel that need after two fairly crap films, I’m sure the extra zeroes on his paycheck helped.
I can see The Hobbit going one of two ways under Peter Jackson – he will either kick it out of the park or it will be King Kong/Lovely Bones bad. I can’t see these films being merely “good”.
King Kong wasn’t bad. It was just bloated.
Yeah King Kong wasn’t bad. I’d add it to my collection if it was cheap enough. Cut about hour out and it would’ve been an epic thrill ride.
But you see, that is the main concern here…Bloat. The Hobbit over two movies will have to work hard to avoid it.
Excited for this. And I can’t believe the hate King Kong gets. Fucking loved it. Thought Jack Black was terrific, too.
My head is constantly in a world where I live in hope that The Hobbit films fail dismally – I was never really a big fan of them – and Peter Jackson gets depressed and starts eating again and gets fat and decides that it’d be beneficial to “return to his roots” and make another excellent classic like Braindead or Bad Taste. Not that I don’t like the LOTR films, I do. I just feel that much like Guillermo del Toro directing them, it’s a waste of the director when they could be off doing other better things. I’ll get excited, I hope, I just still can’t believe how terminably bad The Lovely Bones was. Especially since the book – as bland as it was – felt like nobody could fuck it up. The inverse weight to quality ratio with Peter Jackson needs to change.
Comments are shown as archived from the original site; new comments are closed.