Peter Jackson is about to officially sign up to direct, the greenlight is due in days, and The Hobbit will shoot in January. But, in the midst of all of that, there’s a brand new problem…
It's a saga that seems to have been going on for some time, plagued by financial woes, production delays, changing of director and, most recently, union troubles. But according to the Los Angeles Times, the formal greenlight for the two movies of The Hobbit is imminent.
It reports that Peter Jackson is about to be confirmed as director of the two films, which will be released a year apart. The movies are going to cost a combined $500m, and it's little secret that MGM had been having trouble finding its share of the bill.
However, even though it's unclear how it's done it, it now seems clear that MGM is ready to stump up the cash, and the greenlight is expected in a matter of days. And with all the key deals then able to be put in place, the plan is that the shoot will finally start in January. Production will last for a full year, with the first Hobbit movie then arriving in December 2012. Part II will follow a year later.
The Los Angeles Times also suggests that the reported union dispute is close to being sorted, so it looks like the production may well take place in New Zealand after all.
However, it wouldn't be The Hobbit movie if there wasn't a further problem on the horizon. And this time, it's a fire at Peter Jackson's Portsmouth Miniatures Studio in Wellington. Deadline reports that the workshop there, which would have been employed on the Hobbit movies, is now a "burned-out warehouse".
However, this isn't likely to stop production on the films beginning in January. It does raise the question as to whether the whole production may well be cursed, mind...