Here's our take on the latest news buzzing around the fan universe in the
past few days:
Three 'Hobbits' better than two? Yes, that's right: Peter Jackson has
confirmed that he will expand "The Hobbit," which he has already mostly filmed as
a two-part story, into three films. He spoke about it at Comic-Con in an offhand
manner, but has now made it official, with the studio (Warner Bros.) following
suit. The first movie, "An Unexpected Journey," arrives this December and while
the second, "There and Back Again," is supposed to come out a year later, it's
not clear how that film -- which was, until now, presumably the end of the story
-- will be affected. Will it be re-edited? Will parts of it be moved to the
third film, which could be out in summer 2014?
None of that is known yet, but what Jackson did say was that he would draw
some of the material for the expansion from the Appendices at the end of "The Lord of the Rings." Those -- some 125 pages of
notes by J.R.R. Tolkien -- are full of what amounts to an entire history of
Middle-earth, including references to many adventures featuring other figures
out of Middle-earth's past. While Tolkien did not go into great detail about any
of this, Jackson and company could flesh it out. The plan to make a third
"Hobbit" film seems to come from a sincere desire on the part of Jackson and his
producing/writing partners, not a studio mandate, so it could be that they've
figured out an exciting way to do this.
We hope that's the case. After all, there was some question about whether it
was necessary to split "The Hobbit" -- a much shorter book than "LOTR" -- into
just two movies without padding the story. How would a third feature extend the
tale of "The Hobbit" while providing a satisfactory resolution on its own? We
love Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" to death, and we can't wait to see "The
Hobbit," but we wonder how Jackson will make this all work. If he does, however,
we'll have more of Middle-earth on-screen than we ever dreamed possible.
Overlook Hotel reopening for business? The Los Angeles Times reported over
the weekend that Warner Bros. is considering making a prequel to Stanley
Kubrick's 1980 horror classic, "The Shining." Details are scarce, with the project
not even officially in development, but the film would reportedly take place in
the years before Jack Torrance and family arrived as winter caretakers --
ostensibly focusing on the many horrible events that occurred at the hotel in
years past.
The studio has tapped writer-producer Laeta Kalogridis to explore the
possibilities. Kalogridis adapted "Shutter Island" for Martin Scorsese and played a
large, uncredited role in helping James Cameron shape "Avatar." If we were Kalogridis, we'd politely tell
the studio no thanks.
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MSN Movies is on the scene at the Warner bros studio with the cast of the film as they discuss the importance of costume design, the power behind the Superman suit, and staying true to the original roots.
