The King's Return Draws Near, Jackson Wants to Direct The Hobbit

Written by Eric Olsen
Published December 08, 2003
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....All the outstanding technical and craft achievements that have been duly honored in the previous installments are at least equaled and sometimes trumped here, especially in regard to how involved the creatures are this time. There has been no let-up in creativity, only intensification.

....So Jackson has done it. After seven years of work, the young New Zealander has pulled off one of the most ambitious and phenomenally successful dream projects of all time, a complete visual rendering of a 1,000-page literary classic beloved by countless readers internationally, a set of films that satisfies the Tolkien purists and, when all is said and done, will generate well upwards of $3 billion in all markets.

Hollywood Reporter:

    An epic success and a history-making production that finishes with a masterfully entertaining final installment, New Line Cinema's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" is a soaring legend in its own day and destined to be cherished for many ages to come.

    "The Return of the King" is the longest and most complicated of the three "Rings" films and probably fated to be the biggest moneymaker. Sure to be an Oscar contender in many categories and a breathtaking argument for director Peter Jackson winning every award there is to give, "King" has none of the usual deficiencies that frequently scuttle third films.

    ....Eventually, this Black Captain of the Nazgul, who rides one of the dragonlike beasts first seen in "Towers," has a fight with Eowyn and Merry in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, outside the walls of Minas Tirith, that readers have been waiting decades to see. It's a gloriously crowd-pleasing moment, while overall the lengthy siege is tremendously exciting and visually unparalleled.

    ....The thunderous conclusion to the story of the Ring that includes the end of Frodo's journey and the battle outside the Black Gate winds down to a sublime denouement, leaving only 20 minutes to wrap up when Tolkien took a hundred pages. The extended DVD should bind "King" and the other two films into one awesome movie deserving of regular revivals in theaters. But who can resist right now a classic fantasy adventure that never drags and is simply ravishing to look at thanks to the thousands of craftsmen, performers, animals and postproduction refiners?

NY Post:

    YES, it's true: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" is the picture to beat at this year's Oscars.

    Shown to the press this week in advance of its Dec. 17 opening, the 3 1/2-hour "Rings" exceeds its huge expectations with a more cleanly told, emotionally involving and better-acted story than its Oscar-nominated predecessors'; awesome, sweeping battle scenes; and sheer visual grandeur that could blow away the competition.

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The King's Return Draws Near, Jackson Wants to Direct The Hobbit
Published: December 08, 2003
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Section: Video
Filed Under: Video: Fantasy, Video: News
Writer: Eric Olsen
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#1 — December 8, 2003 @ 16:22PM — Natalie Davis [URL]

Oh, I can not wait to see this. Finally just saw The Two Towers, so I am soooo ready.

#2 — December 8, 2003 @ 18:30PM — Eric Olsen

I want to see the extended "Two Towers" before I see this, but as soon as the family gets into town for Christmas we'll be there.

#3 — December 8, 2003 @ 19:36PM — Jonathan

oh man.. It'd be GREAT if he made the Hobbit.
LOTR and the Hobbit were some of the first books I've read.
I really liked the first and second LOTR, and I have faith the third one will be great.

#4 — December 8, 2003 @ 19:44PM — Eric Olsen

I would love to see him make The Hobbit too, which in someways I like better than the whole trilogy as a story. Of course it is much smaller scale but it was where Tolkien introduced this amazing, magical world and the first taste is hard to shake. In some ways I also like Bilbo even better than Frodo as a central character, more fun.

RE the film series, it's easy to forget how great and epic a job Jackson had to do in order to win over the Tolkien fanatics, who for the most part have become the biggest fans of the films. Keep in mind this is often not the case, with the lovers of a given book rejecting the film adaptation. It's remarkable all the way around.

#5 — December 8, 2003 @ 20:00PM — Jonathan

I always liked Bilbo better than Frodo too. He was a bit more interesting, because he was supposed to be a typical hobbit, which is supposed to mean reclusive and scared of excitement but secretly he had a wild streak.
Frodo is a bit more.. I don't know.. easier?
He is supposed to have all sorts of inner conflict and such, but he's still a pretty boring character.

#6 — December 8, 2003 @ 20:05PM — Eric Olsen

Bilbo is certainly livelier, but remember he got to live a lot longer before the weight of the world was thrust upon him, and it was never thrust upon him the way it was on poor Frodo, who was so damaged by the journey he had to go away at the end. I hope Merry and Pippen are allowed to grow as much in the film as they did in the book.

#7 — December 8, 2003 @ 20:11PM — Jonathan

Even when Frodo is introduced he is a bit boring.
What growth I liked most in the story.. Was Sam. I loved that whole undying loyalty between friends thing, and Sam's determination to keep Frodo going. I thought that was great. They are making it a bit to 'wussy' for me in the movie however.
Pippin and Merry are growing a bit in the movie, they screw around alot less in the second one :)

#8 — December 8, 2003 @ 20:53PM — mATT

I hate to be bursting the collective bubble here, but i read me in the news that Tolkien's estate is unwilling to give up the rights to make "The Hobbit." Apparently Chris Tolkien has some problems with the current trilogy and some legal mumbo-jumbo is keeping Jackson within a safe distance of "The Hobbit"

#9 — December 8, 2003 @ 22:00PM — Eric Olsen

I'm sure those are the "complex rights issues" referred to in the story. I bet they'll be able to work it out - vast amounts of money, awards, critical acclaim, and the demands of the public have a way of moving these things along.

#10 — December 8, 2003 @ 22:10PM — jadester

it was also suggested, tho this might just have been in the "Tolkein bestiary" (a worhty investment if you can find it for less than the cover price), that the Ring afforded to Bilbo a slightly longer lifetime than the average hobbit - in fact relatives had started to notice he did not appear to age much, if at all, which was a part of his reasoning to leave for Rivendell.
The most unfortunate thing if there were to be a film of The Hobbit would be that i seriously doubt they could use that same guy, i forget his name, as Bilbo.

#11 — December 8, 2003 @ 22:30PM — Jonathan

I thought you understood the rings life preserving powers after LOTR. It kept Gollum alive and Bilbo..
But yeah they probably couldn't use the same guy, but that's no matter. I'm sure they'd find a suitable actor for the role.

#12 — December 8, 2003 @ 23:31PM — bside

why couldn't they use the same guy for bilbo? are we forgetting that biblo was pretty darn old when he went on his journy to the lonely mountain in the first place? so give the guy brown hair instead of white/grey and we're good to go!

#13 — December 9, 2003 @ 03:41AM — mark

Yeah they could definatley use the same actor, did you see the make-up job they did on Arnold in T3?

#14 — December 9, 2003 @ 08:41AM — Eric Olsen

The actor is Ian Holm, who is now 72. He will not be playing Bilbo, especially considering thta we are talking at least a few years before any of this would get underway. I would think an actor in his forties would be the range they are looking for.

#15 — December 9, 2003 @ 09:18AM — Jonathan

Youch! 72!
Isn't he also the guy in "From Hell" ?

#16 — December 9, 2003 @ 10:55AM — Eric Olsen

Yes, he was in "From Hell."

#17 — December 9, 2003 @ 15:05PM — jack e. jett [URL]

i attended a screening of lotr last night. i am not allowed to review it at this point. i will say that i have never been to such a security tight screening before. it was as if i were going to see the pope or one of the beatles. i will say there was a ton of sobbing going on at the end.

jack e. jett
the jack e. jett show

#18 — December 9, 2003 @ 15:16PM — Eric Olsen

I assume that's good.

#19 — July 4, 2004 @ 05:19AM — IRONDEITY

Jackson has to make "The Hobbit"

At this point we've seen all the movies and seen all the awards he has gained for his tireless efforts. Watching all the behind the scenes shots like "Helms Deep" ( and the extream fortitude it took to make it from the actors ), all the created items like armour, clothing, buildings, etc. its become something greater than anything anyone could have imagined. Will Mr. Jackson put his masterful talents at play for The Hobbit ? I say "How can he not ?"

Personal review: INCREDIBLE!!!
Mr. Jackson you have my personal thanks.

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