andPOP » Peter Jackson

Watch the Trailer for ‘The Hobbit’

Natalia Buia — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:15:30 +0000

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Everyone is already raving about how good the trailer looks, so when the two-part epic “The Hobbit” finally hits theatres next December, it will surely break box-office records.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” features Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins (a good casting call, if you ask me) and Ian McKellen returns to the “Lord of the Rings” franchise as Galdalf.

Of course the film couldn’t have been directed without Peter Jackson, who has filmed all three previous LOTR films. In fact, many familiar faces band together once again for “The Hobbit”, such as Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will premiere December 14, 2012 and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” will be released December 13, 2013. It seems like we’d have to wait forever for these films but I guarantee it will be well worth the wait.

Peter Jackson’s Emergency Surgery May Delay “The Hobbit”

RM Franks — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:51:26 +0000

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God dangit Peter! Don’t you know you that millions of the world’s biggest, greasiest, lamest, acne-filled, Gandalf-worshipping geeks are patiently waiting for their film version of “The Hobbit”?

Sure you do, but you had to go and have an ulcer. How convenient for you, Sir Peter, to be able to take time off whenever the hell you please? Must be nice to be able to abandon one of the world’s largest film-crews in the treacherous mountains of New Zealand to schedule a doctors appointment when you have a little tummy ache.

How selfish can a film director be? Does he knot know that I, along with many others, in anticipation for the Hobbit, have almost burned out the bottom of our “Return of the King” special edition dvds because we’ve watched them too many times. With full commentary. From Gollum.

Apparently, Peter Jackson doesn’t realize any of this. Because E online is reporting that Jackson was indeed admitted to a to a New Zealand hospital “after complaining of stomach pains”. After some poking and prodding, it was determined Jackson would need emergency surgery for an ulcer.

The Oscar-winning director’s publicist, Melissa Booth, said that only a “minimal” delay is expected and the first of the two movies is still scheduled for release in December 2012, with the second due a year later.

It all sounds optimistic, but a “minimal” delay in Middle Earth can really turn into a to-do.

The Hobbit is Having Huge Problems

Sam Rashid — Mon, 31 May 2010 20:45:02 +0000

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Despite being a small creature, this Bilbo Baggins is causing huge amounts of problems.

Guillermo del Toro, who was handpicked by Peter Jackson to steer The Hobbit movies, has decided to leave his directing post for the two-part Lord of the Rings prequels because of ongoing troubles at the two studios behind the highly anticipated films, reports Eonline!

The studios are MGM and New Line.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life,” Guillermo announced on TheOneRing.net fan site. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures.”

To prep the films with Jackson, del Toro moved with his family to New Zealand. And shooting was planned to take way this summer for a holiday 2012 release. But problems with MGM and New Line began as they couldn’t get their act together, and del Toro couldn’t wait any longer.

“The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project,” del Toro said. “I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product .”

Aside from all of the problems, del Toro will remain as a co writer on the project, along with Jackson and his LOTR partners, Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens.

But for now, the hunt for a new director has begun. Possible candidates: Gandalf the Grey.

The Lovely Bones Interview

@jordans_life — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:36:19 +0000

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Saoirse Ronan “Susie” and Rose McIver “Lindsay” from The Lovely Bones talk to Jordan about working with the all star cast, and adapting the book to a movie.

Contest: District 9 Autographed Posters

Robert Ostfield — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:40:45 +0000

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District 9 is in theatres August 14th and we are very excited. To celebrate andPOP and Sony Pictures are giving away a signed autograph poster with District 9 cast members Sharlto Copley and Neil Blomkamp. To enter all you need to do is email contests@andpop.com with the subject heading District 9, and the answer to the following question:

What is the name of Sharlto Copley’s character in District 9?

Good luck!

Interview with Sharlto Copley – Star of District 9

Robert Ostfield — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:36:45 +0000

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So let’s assume for a second aliens came down to Earth – how do you think we would react? Would we try to work with them to help further both of our civilizations, or would we try and round them up and put them in camps? I don’t know but District 9 explores this scenario and we sat down with Sharlto Copley, the star of District 9, to get his views. We also had a quick interview with one of the aliens from the District 9. It’s a long story but you will see.

Movie Review: District 9

Eric Emin Wood — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:06:44 +0000

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Note: If you’re already interested in seeing District 9 - you know the setup, you’ve seen the posters – go see it. Like all good stories, the best way to experience it is to know nothing about it going in. A word to the squeamish, however – this is a Peter Jackson production by the man who directed The Frighteners and the icky spider-pit sequence in King Kong, not the man who directed Heavenly Creatures or Lord of the Rings.

When we first meet Wikus Van der Merwe, we don’t really notice him; he’s one of many talking heads in the faux documentary that opens District 9, and he isn’t important. Others explain that in the 1980s an alien mothership appeared suddenly over Johannesburg, and that, after nothing happened (by all appearances, there was nothing to keep this ship from torching South Africa like the aliens in Independence Day) humans broke in and discovered a sickly race of alien refugees whose ship had literally run out of gas. Wikus (newcomer Sharlto Copley) is a cubicle drone tasked by MNU, the corporation that has kept the refugees under (debatable) control, to lead a team that will hand the aliens eviction notices, lending a sense of legitimacy to their forced extraction from District 9, the slums in which they currently reside, to District 10, which is more of a concentration camp. In his opening scenes, Wikus comes across as an officious bureaucrat who in any other movie would be the first to go, in a spectacular and probably funny manner. That appearance is crucial, because it means his ultimate role in the story is as much a surprise to the audience as it is to him. I can’t say that if Hitchcock made an alien invasion film Wikus would have been his protagonist, but I do think he would have been proud.

This is science fiction. This uses allegory to cast a light on one of the most shameful aspects of humanity. First-time writer/director Neill Blomkamp, who lived in South Africa until he moved to Canada at 18, never bludgeons us with the parallels, but his film has a clear thesis in mind, and he states it well.

With their clawed hands and hardened carapaces, the aliens almost resemble bipedal lobsters (they’re derisively referred to as “prawns”), and with their tentacled mouths and garbled speech they appear half a step removed from the Aliens/Predator mold of goopy hunters. Yet with their bulbous eyes and thin waists, they’re just as easily injured as humans, and with their weapons confiscated (you didn’t think humans would free them and allow them to live with their own technology, did you?) they can’t easily hurt us – nor is there any indication they’d want to, since they rarely fight unless being attacked.

And here is the sole element of District 9′s plot that I’ll spoil (it’s not much of a spoiler, since it’s revealed in the opening mockumentary, but it’s not underlined): MNU is funded by corporate interests who, as you might expect, are interested in the aliens’ weaponry. Problem is, no human can work them, since they’re attuned to the aliens’ DNA. Both “legitimate” MNU forces and the Nigerian black market that has appeared in District 9 have a cache of alien weaponry, but after 20 years neither has figured out how to operate them – until our plot comes along.

For those who desire nothing else, District 9 is a thrilling action yarn. The mercenaries hired by MNU to police the increasingly volatile district are capable villains, and while their bald leader, Koobus (David James), isn’t the most memorable antagonist in screen history – think Gary Busey in Lethal Weapon rather than Alan Rickman in Die Hard – he gets the job done. The Nigerians, whose wheelchair-bound leader is obsessed with eating the aliens’ flesh, hoping it will let him utilize that robotic exoskeleton taking up space in his warehouse, won’t win the filmmakers any points for racial sensitivity, but they actually come off as slightly more sympathetic than the (mostly white) corporate villains. At least they’re open about what they’re doing.

If there’s a problem with District 9 it’s that the documentary format can’t sustain the story. It’s impossible for a human being holding a camera to capture the aliens’ perspective, and unlike The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, the cameraperson is never identified. Long stretches of movie trade the format for straight narrative, albeit narrative with the same handheld cinema verite style, before abruptly becoming a documentary again. It’s jarring, but I’m not sure Blomkamp could have handled it differently. For whatever reason, the film almost reaches perfection, but not quite.

It is, however, an instant classic that will be fondly remembered for years to come.

New Line Cinema Also Ripped Off

andPOP Staff — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:23:59 +0000

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It seems that Peter Jackson isn’t the only person New Line Cinema failed to give a proper cut of profits.

The film studio is now being sued by the estate of the late J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, reports USA Today.

The Tolkien Trust and HarperCollins, who originally printed the books, filed the lawsuit Monday. The suit claims that 7.5% of the gross receipts from the films is still owed to the estate and other plaintiffs. With the films bringing in billions of dollars, that’s a huge chunk of change.

It took Jackson years of fighting with New Line before he got the money that was owed to him by New Line, but their relationship has been repaired. Jackson will the be producer on “The Hobbit,” also by Tolkien. No word yet on whether this new lawsuit will affect production.

Guillermo Del Toro in Talks to Direct ‘Hobbit’

andPOP Staff — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:07:33 +0000

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Guillermo Del Toro may have won a ticket to Middle Earth.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker is in talks to take the reigns from Peter Jackson and direct “The Hobbit.” The J.R.R. Tolkien novel will reportedly be split into two films, with Jackson producing.

Del Toro has already built a strong following in the science fiction and fantasy crowd, with the Oscar-nominated “Pan’s Labyrinth” and cult hit “Hellboy.”

Jackson, who co-wrote and directed the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, is already committed to several other projects, so he will not be able to write the “Hobbit” script. The process of picking a writer will be fast-tracked once the Writer’s Guild of America strike has been resolved.

In the meantime, Del Toro already has a full plate with 12 projects in various stages of development.

Peter Jackson Will Produce ‘The Hobbit’ And Sequel

andPOP Staff — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:59:39 +0000

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Peter Jackson will get to travel back to Middle Earth for “The Hobbit” and its sequel after all.

The Oscar-winning director has settled his issues with New Line Cinema, which were preventing him from joining the project. New Line owed him considerable profits from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and there was a public falling out that had many fans outraged.

Now that the partnership is back on, Peter Jackson and collaborator Fran Walsh will indeed be on the team as the producers, according to the press release out today. Jackson stated, “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael (the New Line CEOs), and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”

No official word has been released on who will direct. Sam Raimi was rumoured to have the job, and said he would refuse if Jackson was not producing.

Ryan Gosling Jumps

andPOP Staff — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:06:58 +0000

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Ryan Gosling has suddenly dropped out of the highly anticipated film “The Lovely Bones.”

Adapted from the bestselling book and directed by Peter Jackson (“The Lord of the Rings), the film just began shooting on Sunday. “Creative differences” is the official reason being given for Gosling’s swift departure.

Gosling, who had gained weight and grown a full beard for the role, will now be replaced by Mark Wahlberg.

“The Lovely Bones” also stars Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci, and will be released next year.

Rings Director Peter Jackson Feuds with New Line

andPOP Staff — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 12:38:32 +0000

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A legal dispute between Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema turned sour when Jackson announced he would not direct the prequel to the mega successful trilogy.

In a statement made on TheOneRing.net, Jackson declared the ongoing accounting and legal dispute from the first Rings films has compelled him and fellow producer Fran Walsh to take different directions.

“This outcome is not what we anticipated or wanted, but neither do we see any positive value in bitterness or rancor. We now have no choice but to let the idea of a film of ‘The Hobbit’ go and move forward with other projects.”

Jackson refused to talk with New Line about directing the 1937 JRR Tolkien classic unless a gap was bridged.

But New Line Cinema responded saying limited time prevents them from a clear-cut settlement and the show must go on…with a different director.

Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy generated nearly $3 billion at box offices worldwide.

Peter Jackson Not Wanted for ‘Hobbit’ Film

andPOP Staff — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 23:13:43 +0000

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Director Peter Jackson, who helmed the massive “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, won’t be asked to direct the movie adaptation of “The Hobbit.”

Reuters reports that the news came out late Sunday, when a letter written by Jackson to fan site TheOneRing.net was posted online.

“This was a courtesy call to let us know that the studio was now actively looking to hire another filmmaker,” wrote the director, saying that an upper-level executive with New Line Cinema informed him they’d make “The Hobbit” with a different filmmaker.

The decision is likely the result of the legal battle currently being fought between New Line and Jackson’s Wingnut Films production company. The two organizations are quarreling over income from the trilogy’s first film, 2001′s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”

The letter from Jackson noted that he and his partners wouldn’t talk with New Line about a “Hobbit” film until the lawsuit was settled. He also noted that the studio had told him they were under time constraints, and had to commence work on the project.

‘Halo’ Movie Halted by Studios

andPOP Staff — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 14:10:50 +0000

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Both Fox and Universal Studios have pulled funding for Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of the popular video game “Halo,” casting doubt on the future of the project.

The studios were reportedly upset with the movie’s growing budget (said to be at around $200 million U.S.), reports The Star Online. Apparently, Jackson (as executive producer) and computer game producer Microsoft refused to agree to a request from the studios for their profit margins to be reduced.

Additionally, reports say that the studios were concerned that the project is being helmed by a first-time director, Neill Blomkamp.

For his part, Jackson had his spokesman disagree with the studios’ financial claims.

“The only budget the film-makers every spoke about was $145 million less the 12.5 per cent rebate that you get from shooting in New Zealand, which would put it at about $128 million,” said Ken Kamins. “That was the only number that was ever discussed.”

Peter Jackson Returns with WWII Film Remake

andPOP Staff — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:59:17 +0000

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Peter Jackson, best known for directing the massive “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, has taken on a new project. He’ll produce the remake of a classic World War II film.

Originally released in 1954 (and based on a book by Paul Brickhill), “The Dam Busters” recounts the true story of Britain’s military developing bouncing bombs to blow up German dams.

“There’s that wonderful mentality of the British during the war — that heads-down, persevering, keep-on-plugging-away mentality which is the spirit of ‘Dam Busters’,” Jackson told film industry trade publication Screen Daily.

Jackson’s movie will use more details of the actual story than the first film did, as many aspects of the dam-busting bombs were still classified when the original movie was made.

The movie, which is set to start filming next year, will be directed by Christian Rivers.

As far as directing is concerned, Jackson will return to his spot behind the camera for an upcoming film adaptation of Alice Sebold’s book “The Lovely Bones.”