January 21, 2007 ![[LINK]](linkoff.gif) Spider-man Director Sought to Rescue "The Hobbit"
In the wake of recent reports of an irreconcilable split between New Line Cinemas and Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson, there is renewed talk of Sam Raimi as a possible director for a new film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". While any suggestion that a new Hobbit film could be made without Jackson is profoundly upsetting to fans of the popular modern films of Tolkien's Rings Trilogy, the reality of a new Hobbit without Jackson is being probed.
The name of Sam Raimi, director of the Spider-man films, has repeatedly surfaced in speculation ever since the rift between Peter Jackson and New Line threatened any future collaboration between the two parties in 2005. But the pressure on Raimi to revisit the issue has been renewed in recent weeks as New Line boss Bob Shaye has openly declared that he would not allow any New Line project to be helmed by Jackson.
In light of what has become a very messy divorce, fans who keep score of such things point to endless quotes from over the years citing that if Jackson were not involved, Ian McKellan would refuse to return as Gandalf. And the dispositions of other cast members on the topic have been bandied about without any real clarification. Without Jackson or McKellan, it would seem unlikely that the film would ever get made. But if the actor and other key creatives can be lured to work with Raimi on the project, the time may indeed be near for Jackson to board that last ship into the West. And New Line would warn him not to let the Grey Havens hit him in the rear on his way out. |
