Hercules and Xena |
Hercules and Xena meet J.R.R. Tolkien | Hercules and Xena essays |
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Hercules and Xena |
Hercules and Xena meet J.R.R. Tolkien | Hercules and Xena essays |
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Hercules and Xena meet J.R.R. Tolkien
Peter Jackson is producing three movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS. That might seem like a strange opening for an article about the world of Hercules and Xena, but there is a connection. Ngila ("Nyla") Dickson, costume designer for both shows, recently resigned to go work for Jackson, who is reportedly now constructing a set somewhere in New Zealand. Michael Hurst has supposedly told fans he doesn't wish to leave New Zealand this year in case something turns up for him in Jackson's project as well. Could other members of the Herc/Xena world show up in the credits for one or more of these movies? When I spoke with Steve Sears, Co-Executive Producer of X:WP, about the possible impact that Jackson's project might have on the two shows last year, he said that Renaissance was somewhat concerned, but they were hoping that the long-time loyalty of many of the crewmembers would keep them with the series. So far, there don't seem to have been many defections, and the departure of the H:TLJ lead unit may be due more to other decisions taking place behind the scenes than just the prospect of working on what may be the Mother-of-all-Fantasy movies. Josh Becker, one of the directors for H:TLJ and X:WP, reported in March that the entire lead unit (the guys who run the cameras and other equipment for primary filming) on H:TLJ resigned to go work "in greener pastures". Oddly, that piece of information no longer seems to be available, though it was also reported by Cinescape. Their own archive is a bit finicky with respect to spitting up the Becker reference these days. Becker's comment came in answer to a question from a fan who wanted to know if H:TLJ was being cancelled. Becker reported that only 8 more episodes of the show would be filmed. It seems strange that Michael Hurst would want to restrict himself to New Zealand on the off-chance that he might get work in Jackson's movies if the series that is his bread and butter is being cancelled -- especially since they just killed off his primary character, Iolaus. Fans are going nuts, of course, wanting to know what the heck is going on. In the meantime, YOUNG HERCULES, another H:TLJ spinoff, has been cancelled. Renaissance reportedly felt the show was too expensive to produce for the revenues it was bringing in. The deal with FoxKids Network seems to have gone sour, but the full story may never come out in the press. At the same time, on the heels of Josh Becker's coments about the departure of key H:TLJ crew members, GIST TV Gab reported that "Hercules is history". The brief article reports problems with contract negotiations but emphasizes that Kevin Sorbo is "actively pursuing more work now". While rumors of H:TLJ's demise are spreading across the bandwidth, Yahoo! Daily News has stirred the pot with a story about Kevin Sorbo's wanting more money, hinting that a new star may have to be brought in to finish out the last season. Maybe they'll revive Iolaus and have him reminisce about Herc for 14 episodes? One must wonder if Sorbo isn't himself interested in working for Peter Jackson. His 1997 movie, "Kull the Conqueror", was a box-office disappointment. It didn't appeal to hard-core Robert E. Howard fans (Howard invented Kull for pulp magazines in the 1920s) or to H:TLJ fans (mostly because Sorbo wasn't allowed to play the character of Kull more like Herc, according to some quarters). My feeling is the electric guitars in the soundtrack had the most responsibility for the failure. THE LORD OF THE RINGS could be just the ticket for Sorbo. He's tall, strong, and rugged -- he could play any number of roles, from Aragorn (who, presumably, will be the lead character in the story) to Eomer (Aragorn's friend from Rohan), to an Elf like Glorfindel or Gildor Inglorion. A role in one of the most anticipated fantasy movies of all time could help Sorbo break out of any possible stereotyping which might afflict his prospects for a post-Hercules career. On the other side of the lot, X:WP is having its own woes. A recent episode, "The Way", sparked a protest by some Hindus over the representation of their gods, Krishna and Hanuman. The Hindu protest led to a decision by Studios USA to pull the episode from worldwide syndication, although Josh Becker suggests that Renaissance is giving some thought to the idea of reshooting parts of the episode and re-releasing it. Some Xenites, feeling strongly that the Hindu protest and its outcome has resulted in a form of censorship, have launched their own protest to get the episode re-instated. And suddenly fan-made tapes of the episode are in high demand. But more importantly, it has recently been reported that Lucy Lawless is pregnant. The baby, her first with second husband Rob Tapert, is due sometime in October and so they don't expect production on X:WP to be adversely affected. But we may be seeing more head shots of Lucy and perhaps more distant shots of stunt doubles as the Time approaches. The dark-haired Lawless would probably make a good Arwen if Jackson were to look around for somewhat-known actors to play his lead romantic roles. She has the stature and the skill to handle the role. Well, we'll have to wait and see what else happens in New Zealand. The competition between Renaissance Pictures and Peter Jackson's project for local talent may open up some opportunities for non-New Zealanders in ways no one imagined. Jackson has literally gone around the world looking for actors, holding auditions in London, Los Angeles, Australia, and New Zealand. Becker reports on his site that fans outside of New Zealand who want to act on H:TLJ and X:WP are at a disadvantage -- you have to have a work permit, which you can only get if you already have a job. Jackson's search for actors may require more outside actors be brought in, and then they may have chances to look around and see what else is available. Finally, as fans enjoy seeking homages in the X:WP and H:TLJ episodes, I should point out that at least one homage to Tolkien has already occurred. In "The Sacrifice, Part One", one of the characters is very reminiscent of a Tolkien character. I have to admit that when I was asked to guess which one, I couldn't figure it out. I was pretty exhausted at the time. But there is no doubting that the homage is there -- I've rewatched the episode, and the character clearly has a Tolkien sound when he speaks. Yes, my Precious, he does. |
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