Hobbit Movie Background - Lord of the Rings News

Hobbit Movie Background

Lord of the Rings News

If you are looking for news on the Hobbit Movie, check out our Hobbit News section, or browse the headlines in our Lord of the Rings News section (separate from this older LoTR movie news site). We also have a lot of information and rumors in our Hobbit Movies Forum at SF-FANDOM.

Background Information for The Hobbit movies

J.R.R. Tolkien sold the film and merchandising rights for The Hobbit to United Artists in 1966. At some point afterward, United Artists in turn sold the rights and Saul Zaentz eventually acquired them. Zaentz set up Tolkien Enterprises, a division of the Saul Zaentz Company, in 1977 to administer the rights for both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. All film, radio, stage, and television adaptations since that time appear to have been licensed from Tolkien Enterprises.

MGM/United Artists still owns the distribution rights for "The Hobbit". In the late 1990s, various people alleged that a script for "The Hobbit" had been circulating at MGM/UA but they did not move forward with the project because they do not own production rights.

It 1998 it was reported to Xenite.Org that the Saul Zaentz Production Company was working on a "Hobbit" project. That project has since been shelved, and New Line Cinema may have a right of first refusal on producing a "Hobbit" movie after Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" movies are completed.

Toy Vault designed, manufactured, and marketed a line of (http://www.middleearthtoys.com/) Middle-earth Action Figures under license to Tolkien Enterprises. The contract was originally slated to end in 2001. However, after New Line Cinema made the movies based on The Lord of the Rings a reality, Tolkien Enterprises reportedly began working to retract such merchandising contracts as they could. Toy Vault claimed privately it was pressured to discontinue its line of action figures and eventually lost its license about a year before its contract was completed. Toy Biz, a division of Marvel Enterprises presently has the master license for manufacturing toys derived from the movies.

Iron Crown Enterprises (http://www.ironcrown.com/), designers of the Middle-Earth Role-Playing Game, had the rights to produce all games that may be tied into any movies produced up until September 22, 1999, when the rights reverted to Tolkien Enterprises. Iron Crown Enterprises subsequently went into bankruptcy and discontinued doing business.

Saul Zaentz stated in 1998 that he wanted Sean Connery to play Gandalf in a Tolkien-based movie. It was reported that Connery had at one point agreed to play the role, but the delays in getting the movie(s) underway and his reluctance to stay in New Zealand for up to two years led to his withdrawal from the project(s).

In 1998 People in Australia and New Zealand reported on the Internet that some production company was working on The Hobbit and/or The Lord of the Rings. It would appear that these rumors were based on speculations or leaks from Jackson's Wingnut Productions which occurred in 1997.

There was a commercial production of The Hobbit which toured live theater in Australia and New Zealand. Despite plans to bring the show to the United States, poor attendance in New Zealand resulted in the show's closing.

Commercial productions of The Hobbit began performances in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America throughout late 1999 and 2000. Numerous schools and community centers have staged performances of The Hobbit every year since then.

In 2003, rumors began circulating that a production of "The Hobbit" was being considered by New Line Cinema. By 2004, Peter Jackson had gone on record stating he would like to produce the movie, but his own schedule prevented any immediate consideration of the project. Sir Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings", has indicated he would like to reprise the role in "The Hobbit".

In September 2006, MGM finally announced that it was greenlighting a movie called "The Hobbit" and that they would work together with New Line Cinema to make the project happen. Sir Ian McKellen announced he was interested in the role of Gandalf. MGM announced they wanted Peter Jackson to produce and direct again.