The Hobbit (movie) Drawing Slowly Closer

[Reciprocity]

I can't wait for Peter to make the movie(s).

Both Comingsoon.net and Variety are reporting that MGM's discussions with Peter Jackson about The Hobbit are at 'an advanced stage', with a view to production beginning in 2008 or 2009. The two-film concept is also apparently taking shape. The reports, citing MGM Chairman Harry Sloan as the source, suggest that the first would be a direct adaptation of The Hobbit, and the second would be drawn from "footnotes and source material connecting 'The Hobbit' with 'The Lord of the Rings'
http://www.theonering.net/index.shtml
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17549

[semillama]

1. Cheers for the first film

But what the heck is the idea with the second film? When would it take place? That one has the potential to really fall flat on its face. How much connecting do you need to do between the Hobbit and LOTR?

[XemaSab]

3. The second film in a nutshell:

Bilbo spends 90 years sitting around salivating over the One Ring.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez can do the screenplay.

[LWolf]

2. sigh.

At least I had a chance to read "The Hobbit" to my grandson before they put it on screen. He loves the LOTR movies, and I've watched them with him several times. All the way through, I keep saying things like, "that never happened." Or, "It didn't really happen that way." "It really happens like this." "They left out _______________." He now turns to me and says, "this part isn't real, right? Really, it happens this way __________?"

Otherwise, he'd grow up thinking that he "knew" LOTR.

[Orrex]

4. The same could be said of (almost) every Shakespeare film

Heck, for that matter it can be said of pretty much every film adaptation, and that's just how it goes, unless you're talking about a novel deliberately written for the screen (like Crichton's horrible stuff) or novels greatly informed by cinematic conventions (like Harry Potter).

Jackson's films are the definitive film versions of the LOTR, regardless of how faithfully they reproduce the text. It would be a mistake for someone to view them thinking that they're verbatim visualizations of the books, but as long as your grandson knows this (as he appears to), then there's really no problem.