Production of the Hobbit, which had previously been delayed by Peter Jackson’s health issues has finally resumed.
About two months ago, production of “The Hobbit,” a two movie production including the allegedly titled “There and Back again” and “The Unexpected Journey,” was stopped when Director Peter Jackson was admitted for a perforated ulcer.
However, production on the films, which are being shot in the same process to save time and resources, has officially resumed – beginning with an on-set readthrough of the script.
Ian McKellen posted on his blog that reading with Jackson and co-screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens in the room was “as close to bliss as an actor can get.”
Recently, it was also rumored that the MGM/Newline coproduction was going to have trouble meeting the projected $500 million production cost, but either the rumors were untrue or the studios found the money to make it work.
They have to know from the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy that any further movies combining the lore of Tolkien and the directing talents of Peter Jackson are sure to be blockbusters, and getting two blockbusters for that price-tag is a good deal.
“The Hobbit” was written, and is set before “The Lord of the Rings,” and so is being filmed and marketed as a prequel.
Still, what I’ve been wondering is this: If they’re making “The Hobbit” as a two film sequence, why couldn’t they have made “The Lord of the Rings” as a six film sequence. It could have been that much more epic, and we likely would have gotten a look at Peter Jackson’s take on my favorite “Rings” character, Tom Bombadil.
