Taken from the E3 build of the game:
Lord of the Rings
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IGN is reporting that “Pan’s Labyrinth” director Guillermo del Toro has been signed to direct “The Hobbit.”
The “Hellboy” director will work with Peter Jackson, who directed the three “Lord of the Rings” films. Jackson will stay on as executive producer of the two planned “Hobbit” films. The announcement was made at the French premiere of the Spanish film “The Orphanage,” which was produced by del Toro.
Production is expected to begin in 2009.
STILLWATER — He showed elves, orcs and goblins how to fight — and now fight-styles director Tony Wolf will present a lecture on physical theater and film at Oklahoma State University.
Wolf worked on the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy with director Peter Jackson, creating distinct fighting techniques for the various races present in those films, based on the fantasy books by J.R.R. Tolkien.
“I’d worked with Peter as a stuntman and stunt coordinator on several of his early movies, and I’d heard that he was going to be doing ‘Lord of the Rings,’” Wolf said. “And at that stage, I had no concept of the scale of what the trilogy was going to turn into. But I suggested that it might be interesting if all of the different species and cultures of creatures and also humans featured in the movies had their own unique ways of moving and fighting.”
Wolf said each species’ fighting style took into account the visuals of the characters, the style of the species and what would be physically possible and reasonable.
“The basic process, obviously, we read Tolkien’s books, but he often doesn’t go into the kind of detail I’d need to develop the fighting style. He describes the broad sweep of the battle. … So a lot of my inspiration came from what the other production departments were doing,” Wolf said.
Wolf looked at the costume designs and creature designs from various other design departments. Wolf then created a set of aesthetic principles to define each particular culture in the fantasy world. He translated that set of principles into how the characters would move and use weapons.
“Because, obviously, if you have a creature like an orc, which is a very grotesque, twisted, almost animalistic character, it would be ridiculous if they suddenly turned into samurai warriors on the battlefield,” Wolf said. “Their fighting style must reflect the way they look and what we understand about their culture and their society. And that same logic was applied to all the different character types that I worked with.”
Wolf, a native New Zealander, is a visiting lecturer at OSU and is the creator of Complicite, a system of movement used in acting.
Wolf’s direction and design have been featured in more than 180 feature films and in television, theater, opera and ballet productions. He has toured Japan, Australia, Canada and Europe. He serves as an adviser for several international martial arts and stage combat organizations.
Wolf’s lecture will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Seretean Center of the Performing Arts on the OSU campus. For more information, call the OSU Theatre Department at (405) 744-6094.
Wolf will lecture Wednesday at Stillwater High School and at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at Oklahoma City University. Wolf will give a workshop at 9 a.m. Jan 26 to Oklahoma City University students.
– Matt Price
PRESS RELEASE:
NEW LINE CINEMA JOIN WITH MGM
TO PRODUCE “THE HOBBIT,”
EAGERLY-ANTICIPATED FANTASY ADVENTURE EPIC
NEW LINE CINEMA AND MGM TO CO-PRODUCE AND
SHARE WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS
PETER JACKSON AND FRAN WALSH TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE TWO FILMS BASED ON “THE HOBBIT”
Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, December 18, 2007) Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM); Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:
* MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.
* Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.
* Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) Trilogy.
Said Peter Jackson, “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”
“Peter Jackson has proven himself as the filmmaker who can bring the extraordinary imagination of Tolkien to life and we full heartedly agree with the fans worldwide who know he should be making ‘The Hobbit,’” said Sloan, MGM’s Chairman and CEO. “Now that we are all in agreement on ‘The Hobbit,’ we can focus on assembling the production team that will capture this phenomenal tale on film.”
Bob Shaye, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO comments, “We are very pleased we have been able to resolve our differences, and that Peter and Fran will be actively and creatively involved with ‘The Hobbit’ movies. We know they will bring the same passion, care and talent to these films that they so ably accomplished with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy.”
“Peter is a visionary filmmaker, and he broke new ground with ‘The Lord of the Rings,’” notes Michael Lynne, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO. “We’re delighted he’s back for ‘The Hobbit’ films and that the Tolkien saga will continue with his imprint. We greatly appreciate the efforts of Harry Sloan, who has been instrumental in helping us reach our new accord.”
The two “Hobbit” films – “The Hobbit” and its sequel – are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of “The Hobbit” release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.
The Oscar-winning, critically-acclaimed LOTR Trilogy grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box-office. In 2003, “Return of the King” swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the eleven categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture – the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The Trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time.
For more information about “The Hobbit” films, please visit www.TheHobbitBlog.com.
