from the one ring. net
December 02, 2003 - Keen to build on the success of its three Lord of the Rings films (ROTK is a foregone conclusion), New Line Cinema is now actively pursuing the possibility of a film based on The Hobbit. According to The Australian, however, there is a hang-up: the Tolkien estate. It seems that Tolkien's heirs, who have already riled Peter Jackson by refusing to permit a Rings museum in Wellington, are now a stumbling-block in the way of a Lord of the Rings prequel.
"The difficulty everybody has is the Tolkien estate," Jackson said, referring to recent wrangling between New Line and Christopher Tolkien, the custodian and literary executor of his late father's estate. Jackson's next project is King Kong, which should be finished by 2006. Afterwards, Jackson would like to work with New Line on The Hobbit, provided the legal hassles get worked out.
Right now, a deal doesn't seem likely. The trilogy itself was only possible because J.R.R. Tolkien himself sold those film rights in 1969 for £10,000, a paltry amount by modern standards. His son, Christopher, doesn't believe that The Hobbit or any of his father's other works can be adequately represented on-screen, and has resisted any endorsement of the current Lord of the Rings project.
In other news, however, anticipation for The Return of the King hit new heights this week with the movie's official premiere in New Zealand. As many as 100,000 fans showed up to cheer on a Lord of the Rings parade and listen to speeches by many of the film's key actors and behind-the-camera talent. The screening itself was a private event, so Wellington's citizens will have to wait along with the rest of us for a few more weeks. All reports suggest that The Return of the King is everything we've been waiting for. Stay tuned for ongoing coverage and our own review in the coming weeks
aniron i agree, i believe that there isnt gonna be any movie that will top lord of the rings, nothing will be like lord of the rings, its gonna be so heartbreaking when its all over..no more lord of the rings films to come out after return of the king to be counting down to, its gonna be really really sad *starts to cry* but ill always have fellowship, fellowship special edition, two towers, two towers special edition,and return of the king, and return of the king special edition to watch over and over and over and everything!
And i agree...if i ever met peter jackson, the first thing id say to him is "thank for you blessing us with these 3 amazing lord of the rings films, they are incredible"
hahahaha sauron, thats really funny! Im gonna gonna do the you shall not pass thing, but me and my friends will be singing the drinking song that merry and pippin sing, and say all these lines and stuff, and chanting lord of the rings, its gonna be sooo incredible! i cant wait! just 9 days away! and the craziness begins!!!!!!!