WOOOOO!

[lithera]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=40300

To sum up:
Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. ; 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" Trilogy.

Happy dance, happy dance!

Comments

[thezzyzx.livejournal.com]

Very cool!

(Well except that that could then extend the marathon into Thanksgiving... ;) )

[lithera.livejournal.com]

*laughs*

[thezzyzx.livejournal.com]

To be honest, two movies seems like milking it a bit.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Well, it isn't two movies for The Hobbit. That'll be one movie. As I understand it, the other will be a bridge between The Hobbit and Fellowship.

But I'm sure that more details will be here: http://www.thehobbitblog.com/ as they emerge.

[thezzyzx.livejournal.com]

So we'll get like 50 years of parties in the Shire? ;)

[lithera.livejournal.com]

*snorts* I doubt it'll all be Hobbiton.

[gamethyme.livejournal.com]

... and a sequel?

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Tolkien wrote it all down.

It isn't like what happens in the time between The Hobbit and Fellowship isn't known. It just wasn't made into a book specifically.

[fobok.livejournal.com]

Best news I've heard yet! (Well, as long as they base the sequel on Tolkien's notes, and don't try to come up with something completely on their own. I trust Jackson, though.)

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I don't think he'll go completely off the reservation or anything.

[of-the-woods.livejournal.com]

well, considering he filmed a final fight showdown between Aragorn and Sauron at the Black Gate, I'm not sure I trust him THAT much... fortunately he got better and made Sauron into a troll instead.

As much as I enjoyed the movies, he has a tin ear for character motivation. Some parts of Return of the King make me squirm.

All that said, I have high hopes :)

[qijm.livejournal.com]

I'm out of the loop on this. Does this mean the weird half-a-movie rights situation was resolved?

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Yes. It means that the rights and payment and all sorts of other things were settled.

[leiden.livejournal.com]

This is New Line's "Get Out Of Jail Free" card after The Golden Compass tanked so hard.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

*nods* Makes sense to me.