Aint it Cool are reporting that, behind Sam Raimi and Peter Weir in the queue are four more potential Hobbit directors: Stephen Sommers, Michael Bay, Brad Silberling and Bill Condon.
Er... what on earth? Only Silberling seems anything like a sensible choice. At all.
Aint it Cool are spreading a so-far-rumour that Peter Weir has been approached to direct The Hobbit. Frankly, that sounds wonderful. Fingers crossed. We don't want this ending up with Mira Nair, Chris Columbus or Ang Lee (all rumoured implausibly on messageboards as the months have ticked by).
Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, two of the many writers to have taken a crack at Freddy vs Jason - one of my more indulgent semi-guilty pleasures - have sold a new project to Columbia for big dollars. The new film hasn't been named, but it has been described: a tentpole hopeful about a cynical New Yorker battling fairy tale creatures to save a princess. Not that much to go on, so far.
The 'big news' is that Sam Raimi will be producing and, of course, the internet's gestalt geekmind is already fantasising that he'll direct. Maybe this would be a safer choice, in many ways, than The Hobbit, though probably less tempting too. Reports are also swirling around that Raimi is planning a return to horror, so who knows what he'll actually sign on for? Probably not even Raimi, at this point.
I'm prepared to bet Spider-Man 4 isn't his next film, however. Or even the film after that.
Yes, that was an ugly headline. Sort of on purpose. Honest. I don't use helm as a verb, I swear.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Sam Raimi said the following:
Peter Jackson might be the best filmmaker on the planet right now. But, um, I don't know what's going to happen next for me right now. First and foremost, those are Peter Jackson and Bob Shaye's films. If Peter didn't want to do it, and Bob wanted me to do it — and they were both okay with me picking up the reins — that would be great. I love the book. It's maybe a more kid-friendly story than the others.
Yeah, he might be, Sam. And you might be too. I'd certainly count you both in the 99th percentile.
Matt Telmach, Sony's President of Production is quoted as saying:
Listen, we're making Spider-Man 4. Our hope, dream, and intention is to do it with Sam. But I don't have a crystal ball.
Aint it Cool News have served up Wingnut's response to Bob Shaye's Jackson bashing. Here it is again, to give Jackson's points that tiny, weeny sliver of wider exposure:
Our issue with New Line Cinema has only ever been about their refusal to account for financial anomalies that surfaced from a partial audit of The Fellowship of the Ring. Contrary to recent comments made by Bob Shaye, we attempted to discuss the issues raised by the Fellowship audit with New Line for over a year but the studio was and continues to be completely uncooperative. This has compelled us to file a lawsuit to pursue our contractual rights under the law. Nobody likes taking legal action, but the studio left us with no alternative.
For over two years, New Line has denied us the ability to audit The Two Towers and The Return of the King, despite repeated requests. Film auditing is a common and straightforward practice within the industry and we don't understand why New Line Cinema has taken this position.
In light of these circumstances, I didn't think it was appropriate for me to be involved in New Line Cinema's 40th Anniversary video. I have never discussed this video with any of the cast of The Lord of the Rings. The issues that Bob Shaye has with the cast pre-date this law suit by many years.
Fundamentally, our legal action is about holding New Line to it's contractual obligations and promises. It is regrettable that Bob has chosen to make it personal. I have always had the highest respect and affection for Bob and other senior management at New Line and continue to do so.
You might think it wouldn't be worth New Line's while making a Hobbit quickly, before their option is up, that it would be doomed to fail due to Pro-Jackson action but if the box office returns of Snakes on a Plane, Serenity and Slither underlined one thing between them, it's that, even now, the 'informed' film-community of web geeks don't account for anything like the proportion of the moviegoing public it was once assumed (and by many, hoped). A film of The Hobbit would doubtless turn a huge profit even if Sean McNamara was handed the directing gig.New Line's Bob Shaye has made it very clear that Peter Jackson is in his bad books.
In an interview to promote his own film, The Last Mimzy, Shaye said of Jackson, "I do not want to make a movie with somebody who is suing me... It will never happen during my watch."
So, that's the end of everybody's Hobbit dreams - this time, I'd bet, for good. To be honest, it's not something I'm too worried about. There's countless things I'd rather see Jackson do than another Middle Earth movie.
Variety have announced that the movie rights to Geraldine McCaughrean's Barrie-add-on, Peter Pan in Scarlet, have been snapped up by the BBC, in partnership with Headline Films and the UK Film Council. This sequel will keep making money for Great Ormond's street long after the original cannot, so, for that alone, it's a project to support. I havent read the book so I can't comment on it's quality - if anybody could chime in with a mini-review in the comments, it would be very much appreciated.
Wendy and her brothers have all grown up Scarlet - but not Peter, of course. That would be silly. They all return to Neverland and, unsurprisingly, much derring-do is the order of the day. Will there be an intertnet campaign to get PJ Hogan the directing gig, like there has been for Peter Jackson over The Hobbit?
I think that's only slightly less likely than Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie being hired to produce the comic book adaptaion - though I, for one, am something of a PJ Hogan fan, particularly when it comes to Muriel's Wedding and Peter Pan.
