11 January 2014 Last Updated on 11 January 2014
COMMENT | Most of you would have seen the recent news that the Weinstein brothers are suing Warner Brothers over the Hobbit films, but you might not have seen the resulting rumours that ‘There and Back Again’, the third Hobbit film, would be delayed or scrapped.
That’s right, there’s a bit of an online buzz right now with several websites reporting that ‘There and Back Again’s December release this year is currently under threat because of the ongoing litigation between the Weinstein brothers and Warner Brothers, with several websites discussing the possibility of it being delayed, or, even worse, cancelled altogether.
Most of these rumours seem to stem from this article on radaronline.com that leads with the rather sensationalist and suggestive title ‘Could the final ‘Hobbit’ film be scrapped?’ It then proceeds to discuss the Weinstein lawsuit and even cites the fact that the release date for ‘There and Back Again’ has already been pushed back from summer to the typical December release the other two Hobbit movies have occupied as proof that the third film could be cancelled.
This is obviously quite worrying news if you’re a fan of the series, particularly if you were left literally hanging following the cliff-hanger in ‘Desolation of Smaug’, after all there is a precedent for this kind of thing. Those of you who have closely followed the production of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies will know that they are no stranger to lawsuits. One such previous litigation between Tolkien’s heirs and publishers threated to prevent the Hobbit films from being made, so the cancellation of ‘There and Back Again’ could very much be a possibility.
That is, of course, providing that the article in radaronline.com isn’t just absolute codswallop, and as it turns out, it is. Thanks to the trusty middle earth news based site TheOneRing.net, and their user Voronwë, otherwise known as attorney Douglas C. Kane, we have some facts from people who actually know what they’re talking about courtesy of an article explaining the Weinstein lawsuit written by Kane.
Within the article Kane writes “In fact, there is no factual or legal basis that supports this speculation whatsoever. The Complaint filed by the Weinsteins and Miramax asks for only two things: (1) a declaration that they are entitled to compensation for the second and third Hobbit films; and (2) damages in an amount exceeding $75 million for failing to pay compensation for the second and third films. That is it.”
Kane then goes on to add, “There is no mention in any of the court documents filed by the attorneys for the Weinsteins and Miramax that indicates that they have any interest in or desire to delay or scrap the third film. On the contrary, it would be against their interests to do so, since their entire case is predicated on the argument that they are entitled to a share in the profits of the second film (which is already released, and is likely to approach or exceed the billion dollar threshold again) and the anticipated third film (which could well make more money than either of the first two).”
So there we have it folks, the release of ‘There and Back Again’ will not be affected in any way by the current legal battle raging on in the background between Warner Brothers and the Weinsteins. Bilbo will be going ‘There and Back Again’, and that frustrating cliff-hanger in ‘Desolation of Smaug’ will be resolved.
Daniel Wood is a long-time ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ fan after his dad read him both books as bedtime stories as a child. Of course back then he didn’t understand a word he was hearing, so he’s grateful they made films. Follow Daniel Wood on Twitter.
More Hobbit articles from Daniel Wood
The Hobbit: Are Peter Jackson’s deviations from J.R.R Tolkien’s novel a good or bad thing?
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug movie premiere rumours
The Hobbit: Who are the bad guys in Desolation of Smaug?
The Hobbit fans: Gollum pancakes, Bilbo sketches and homemade Hobbit holes
Source:
http://www.mockingjayhungergames.com/rumours-that-the-third-hobbit-film-there-and-back-again-could-be-delayed-or/