Since 2007, studios and fans alike have been contemplating, worrying, speculating, and spewing rumors about the upcoming prequel to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit. The news that we do know is that Jackson is teaming up with Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro, the story will be split into two films over two years, and now we have a release date for the two films. From Heat Vision:
Warner Bros. is scheduling Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro’s two-part adaptation of “The Hobbit” for December 2012 and December 2013.
While the project is taking a bit longer than the filmmakers anticipated, it is now on track for 2012 — rather than the 2013 date mentioned in the IMAX release.
The second movie’s script was turned in to the studio a couple of weeks ago, and all parties are starting to break down the financials for the movies now.
Warners moved quickly to set the calendar straight in the wake of the Imax release, and by midday, the giant-screen-format company said it was going to send out a correction, officially making 2012 the new date for the first “Hobbit” movie.
So it seems like the film is no longer in the hands of the sinking MGM/New Line team, and now being taken over by Warners, which is only good news for people who have been waiting to see this story as a live action film for decades.
People may roll their eyes at the idea of films like these in IMAX, but if you consider that IMAX and 3D will be dominating the market in the next 3-5 years, you can believe that you’ll be seeing even the most independent films in 3D or IMAX just to get people into seats.
The only question remaining for The Hobbit is casting. Can we see Doctor Who’s David Tennant pick up the role of Bilbo Baggins, now that his NBC pilot didn’t get picked up by the network? The answer should come soon enough.
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