Guillermo del Toro to direct 'The Hobbit' and sequel

[Trippy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080425/film_nm/hobbit_dc

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro was named on Thursday to direct two movies based on the J.R.R. Tolkien book "The Hobbit" to build on the blockbuster success of "The Lord of the Rings" series.

Plans to make a two-part precursor to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, based on Tolkien's three-volume follow-up to his "Hobbit" story, were announced in December after settlement of a bitter legal dispute cleared the way for the project.

Del Toro, whose credits include "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Blade II," will move to New Zealand for the next four years to work on both "Hobbit" films with executive producer Peter Jackson, who directed all three "The Lord of the Rings" movies, according to New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

The studios have said that filming will begin in 2009, with tentative release dates set of 2010 for the first film and 2011 for the sequel.

The plans call for del Toro to work back-to-back on "The Hobbit" and its sequel, which will deal with the 60-year period between that story and "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the studios said.

"The Hobbit," which Tolkien wrote for his children and first published in 1937, is set in a fictional land called Middle-earth, inhabited by elves, dwarves, wizards and a diminutive race known as Hobbits, including the central character Bilbo Baggins.

Tolkien went on to write "The Lord of the Rings" 17 years later.

The three films based on those volumes grossed roughly $3 billion combined at box offices worldwide. The last installment in 2003, "The Return of the King," won 11 Oscars, including awards for best picture and best director for Jackson.

Jackson sued New Line, a unit of Time Warner Inc., claiming the studio had improperly accounted for the movie's profits and owed him money. That suit was settled, allowing "The Hobbit" and its sequel to go into development.

Del Toro was widely acclaimed for his work on the 2006 dark fairy tale "Pan's Labyrinth," which earned Oscar nominations for best foreign-language film and his screenplay. Like "Lord of the Rings," del Toro's story was populated with all manner of imaginary creatures.

His directing credits also include the big-screen comic book adventure "Hellboy," whose sequel is due for release this summer. He recently produced the critically lauded Spanish supernatural thriller "The Orphanage."

"We have long admired Guillermo's work and cannot think of a more inspired filmmaker to take the journey back to Middle-earth," Jackson and his producing partner, Fran Walsh, said in a statement.

Edit by Trippy: updated with longer version

[schild]

I did not like Pan's Labyrinth. Hairy midgets won't help.

[Baldrake]

I'm very pleased to hear this. I found the LoTR movies a bit sterile and dominated by special effects. Del Toro is the man to fix this.

[Selby]

What exactly happened in the 60 years between the two sets of books that is worthy of a 2-2.5 hour movie?

[Trippy]

The ring acquiring happens part way through the book. Also the Battle of the Five Armies could be a movie by itself.

[Murgos]

What exactly happened in the 60 years between the two sets of books that is worthy of a 2-2.5 hour movie?

Actually, for the question you asked.  Nothing.  That's why there is no story that covers the 60 years between the books.  However, quite a bit happens in The Hobbit and it should make a great (two part) movie.

[SnakeCharmer]

Is that the same guy that played in Traffic and Snatch?

[tazelbain]

 

[Dtrain]

Yeah, I think you read it wrong, Selby. Although I do agree that it sounds improbable.

The first tells the story of how Bilbo Baggins came to possess the Ring of Doom, while the second will center on the time between it and "The Fellowship of the Ring."

So...

Movie 1: ends with the finding of the ring. Although I can't see a whole movie on just this alone - it seems like it would go a little longer than just that. Riddles in the dark is an amusing chapter, but it's hardly a climatic motion picture ending. Out of the frying pan and into the fire seems like a more natural break point.

Movie 2: picks up after the finding of the ring, includes the rest of the hobbit including spiders, thranduil, smaug and armies, in addition to 60 years of events (that are also anti-climactic.)

So yeah, there's some question as to how it will be done, but I have to believe they're going to do it, and I have faith in the production company that it will be done right.

PS: Hi, I'm a huge nerd.

[Cadaverine]

Is that the same guy that played in Traffic and Snatch?

Benicio Del Toro.  Also played Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing.

Guillermo is the guy that directed Blade II, and Hellboy, amongst others.  I think he'll do the story justice, which is a good thing.

[Selby]

Yeah, I think you read it wrong, Selby. Although I do agree that it sounds improbable.

Maybe, that's the way I still read it.  Saying "a 2 part Hobbit movie" makes more sense than saying "2 movies about these two subjects" to me at least.

I still don't exactly see it being a good thing to split the movie into 2 2.5 hour movies, I mean the book is a very quick read and considerably shorter than the first LotR book.  Unless they drag out the trolls, drag out Gandalf's introduction with the dwarves, drag out the riding of the ponies... but that could just cause pacing problems and make for one very boring movie.

[Samwise]

By "drag out" do you mean "not tear through at a breakneck speed and skip over the fun bits like every fantasy movie made in the last five years and maybe produce something watchable"?

If so, bring on the dragging.     Maybe they'll even have time to put the songs in.

[Llava]

Skip songs prease.  Otherwise, go ahead and put everything in.

[Signe]

What??  I am so over hobbits and their freaken movies!  Isn't there anything taller he make a movie out of?

[Selby]

By "drag out" do you mean "not tear through at a breakneck speed and skip over the fun bits like every fantasy movie made in the last five years and maybe produce something watchable"?

"Drag out" like dragging out the battle of Helm's Deep to be 90 minutes long when in the book it's maybe 5-6 pages and skipping\glossing over parts of the book to make it
"exciting" to the audience as opposed to sticking with the story.  I don't really go into a nerdrage over the 3 movies, but there were parts I felt could have been done better despite understanding why they did it and that it did work overall.

The Hobbit is just a fast paced book where quite a bit happens in a very short period of pages.  I am not sure 2 movies will exactly work out, but hey I'll see when the final product comes out, right?  If they do it justice like they did LotR it will be fine.

[Murgos]

I don't know. There is plenty of story for two movies.

Movie 1 starts with the party, does the troll bit as a little action and the finding of Sting, wanders into Rivendell for a moment to set up some plot, makes the trip into the mountains, Orc fight, escape, wandering in the dark, finding the ring, the riddles, swap back and forth to dwarves and gandalf fighitng orcs and end with Bilbo, Dwarves and Gandalf making their escape out of the mountain with the orcs on their heels.

Movie 2 starts with an Orc fight and gandalfs fire and the eagles, moves to the beornings for a bit of a rest and then on into Mirkwood and the fight with the spiders, the capture by the elves and the escape (If they are smart expect a cameo with Legolas), rest for a bit in dale and then on to the mountain.  A few tense bits with Smaug and Bilbo, the fight at dale, and then the battle of the five armies and we're done.

More than enough.

[Abagadro]

It's always a good idea to hire someone to do a movie of The Hobbit who says things like this:

"I was never into heroic fantasy. At all. I don't like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits -- I've never been into that at all. I don't like sword and sorcery, I hate all that stuff."

[Paelos]

It's always a good idea to hire someone to do a movie of The Hobbit who says things like this:

"I was never into heroic fantasy. At all. I don't like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits -- I've never been into that at all. I don't like sword and sorcery, I hate all that stuff."

Tough call. Would you rather have a guy that hates the genre and can only work from the source? Or would you rather have a fanboi who has always dreamed of interpretting it his way?

[Margalis]

I'm kind of sick of all this Tolkein shit so this actually makes me happier.

[HaemishM]

Del Toro will do well, but fuck, we don't need two 3-hour long movies of the Hobbit. One 3-hour movie will suffice. There just isn't enough in there to justify two goddamn movies.

[lamaros]

I didn't like LoTR that much and the movies they made from it still pissed me off.
I do like The Hobbit, so I expect these movies I will only watch if people drag me to them.

[Lucas]

I absolutely loved the three movies, especially the extended editions and all the behind the scenes stuff (especially the description about the costumes and building all those sets). While the director has changed, WETA (and all their crazy attention for the detail) is still there, Jackson surely consider it his "precious" creature, so in the end we'll get a pretty kickass product :).

By the way, last I heard, first movie should be all dedicated to the Hobbit, while the second movie will cover the (not sure about the number) 50 yrs  "gap" between the events told in the Hobbit and the beginning of the Fellowship.

[Selby]

...while the second movie will cover the (not sure about the number) 50 yrs  "gap" between the events told in the Hobbit and the beginning of the Fellowship.

To which I replied "is there anything that happened in that 50 years to make it worthy of it's own movie?"

[Lucas]

Sure, ahem...

From Wikipedia:

# July, 2941 - Bilbo Baggins obtains the One Ring; the White Council drives Sauron out of Dol Guldur

# 2941 - Esgaroth is attacked by the dragon Smaug, who is consequentially killed by Bard the Bowman; Battle of Five Armies

# June 22, 2942 - Bilbo Baggins returns to Bag End

# 2951 - Estel, later known as Aragorn, comes of age and is told about his heritage; the Corsairs of Umbar officially ally themselves with Mordor and destroy great monument commemorating Ar-Pharazôn's victory over Sauron

# 2953 - Last meeting of the White Council. Fengel, fifteenth king of Rohan, dies. His son Thengel returns to Rohan to succeed him.

# 2956 - Aragorn first meets Gandalf the Grey

# 2957-2980 - Aragorn as Thorongil serves in the armies of King Thengel of Rohan, and Steward Ecthelion II of Gondor

# September 22, 2968 - Frodo Baggins is born

# 2978 - Boromir is born

# 2980 - Arwen pledges her hand in marriage to Aragorn; Frodo Baggins loses both of his parents in a boating accident; Aragorn, in the service of the Steward of Gondor Ecthelion II leads a taskforce south and kills the Captain of the Haven, ruler of Umbar; Samwise Gamgee born;[14] Théoden, son of Thengel, becomes seventeenth king of Rohan after the death of his father.

# 2982 - Birth of Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)

# 2983 - Birth of Faramir

# 2989 - Frodo Baggins comes under the guardianship of Bilbo Baggins; a company of Dwarves, led by Balin, try to recolonize Moria

# 2990 - Birth of Peregrin Took (Pippin)

# 2991 - Birth of Éomer

# 2994 - Balin is killed; the dwarf-colony in Moria is destroyed

# 2995 - Birth of Éowyn

# 3001 - Bilbo Baggins turns 111, passes the One Ring on to Frodo Baggins, and leaves the Shire.
----

C'mon, we'll se the birth of Eowyn, LIVE!!!! 

[schild]

Wait for it. Wait for it.

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring.

And hobbits are gay.

[Lantyssa]

<insert picture of hobbit actors receiving picture of gay hobbit porn to sign here>

[Ookii]

Article about how del Toro hates LOR-esque fantasy and Peter Jackson is becoming the next Lucas.

First of all, hasn't anybody noticed that del Toro has repeatedly said he doesn't like Tolkien, and that he never finished reading "The Lord of the Rings"? Here's what he told me in Cannes in 2006, when I asked him about the influence of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis on his own work: "I was never into heroic fantasy. At all. I don't like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits -- I've never been into that at all. I don't like sword and sorcery, I hate all that stuff."

http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/btm/feature/2008/04/25/del_hobbit/index.html

[Samwise]

I don't really care how he feels about it as long as he does a good job.

My impression of PJ from watching one of the "making of" videos was that he didn't do the LotR movies because he liked LotR, he did it because he thought LotR was lowest-common-denominator fantasy and that it was a good low bar to aim for, as well as easier than writing his own fantasy movie from scratch.  Which jives with the impression I get watching the movies that he was doing a good job of hitting the major plot points and making stuff look pretty but he didn't really "get" the characters or the underlying themes.

So meh, maybe somebody with a professed loathing for the source material will actually do it better.

[SuperPopTart]

I would like all of you hobbit haters to kindly shush.

Do you know how absolutely obtuse and difficult it's been for it to even get THIS far? All we need is some random monkey from one of the Hobbit Movie camps to read this message board and cut production off at the knees.

*I* am a Tolkienite.
*I* need my hobbits.
Signe's cookies aren't cutting it anymore..(mostly because she's stopped baking them)


That being said - although I have serious issues with the "creative license" taken on the films to date, I am somewhat comforted by the fact that it's still being done by the same overall team and maybe, just maybe it will do the book justice. Can the book be split into two movies? Absolutely. There is enough in the book and some of the tales and background history that we have to make two full movies.

I'm also sure we are going to, due to the popularity of the original three movies, see the history of people like Aragorn and Gimli, as well as Legolas - as we should at least be introduced to Legolas's father.  Not sure I agree that we should get the back stories on Aragorn and Gimli in these movies.. but well, he'll need to fill up time.

Oh, and meet Gimli's daddy.

[Samwise]

I think the boyhood adventures of Aragorn and Faramir as badass rangers could be pretty awesome.  Like the Young Indiana Jones Adventures but with orcs.

[Lantyssa]

I think the boyhood adventures of Aragorn and Faramir as badass rangers could be pretty awesome.  Like the Young Indiana Jones Adventures but with orcs.

How about Boromir and Faramir?  Aragron can stay off-screen, thanks.

[lamaros]

Why stop at two films? Why not make it in to six?

[Ookii]

Didn't Tolkien only write so much?

[lamaros]

Far as I'm aware 'The Hobbit' stopped when Bilbo returned home.

If you can stretch out another film from some notes and timeline you can sure as hell stretch it out to six films if you want.

[Samwise]

I think the boyhood adventures of Aragorn and Faramir as badass rangers could be pretty awesome.  Like the Young Indiana Jones Adventures but with orcs.

How about Boromir and Faramir?  Aragron can stay off-screen, thanks.

IIRC Faramir was the black sheep of the family who spent his youth running around in the forest ganking orcs, smoking pipeweed with Gandalf, and nailing elf chicks.  Boromir just hung around Gondor being a daddy's boy.