So is the real irony of ironies here the fact that Peter Jackson was so successful in making Lord of the Rings that it meant no one else would ever come close to the world of Tolkien?
Just why the hell can’t they find a director for The Hobbit?
After being launched as a movie project to much fanfare and giddiness, The Hobbit has been saddled with one bad bit of director news after another. First there was Guillermo Del Toro, who, after two years of developing the project, bailed thanks to all the behind-the-scenes financial drama at the up-for-sale MGM.
Then there were all those early denials from Peter Jackson that he would not direct. (Now it sounds like maybe there’s a glimmer of hope that he might change his mind)
And just yesterday, there was the news that Jackson protegé Neill Blomkamp won’t direct the movie either.
What’s with the whole hot potato approach here? While I’m sure financial turmoil, and prolonged production delays, are enough to send filmmakers packing, it’s not like we’re talking about the next Matthew McConaughey crap-a-thon here. The Hobbit is no Fool’s Gold filmmakers, and thank God for that. So why is it so hard to get anyone to stand by this puppy for the few months it will take to resolve things in the board room? (More at Techland: Toy Story vs. The Incredibles – Ranking Pixar’s Greatest Films)
I honestly think it has something to do – at least in some small part – with just how brilliant and iconic the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy was. Everyone’s afraid of being compared to Jackson’s classics. Everyone’s afraid of being typecast by this sort of material – which Jackson was quite careful about avoiding in moving away to sci-fi gorilla wars King Kong, and heaven-bound fantasies with The Lovely Bones.
It’s kind of like trying to make another teen vampire romance after Twilight. How will you ever again catch that lightning in the bottle?
I’m not too sure any serious filmmaker would jump at the chance.
So I’m conflicted: I’m glad Lord of the Rings is held in such high esteem, but kind of depressed that that means all these virtuoso visionaries are turning their back on The Hobbit. It’s the best of the books people!!
Guess I’ll just have to direct the damn thing myself.
More at Techland: 10 Terrible Movies Adapted from Video Games