Sam Raimi Seriously Considering 'The Hobbit'
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, MGM, New Line, Fandom, Peter Jackson, Comic/Superhero/Geek
I tried to read The Hobbit when I was a kid, but I gave up when I realized I was 100 pages in and still reading about a tea party. I know I'll ruffle some capes out there, but I never understood the appeal. I'm in the minority though, and the little story is stirring up all kinds of excitement in Hollywood. Peter Jackson was expected to direct the film version, but a public battle with Bob Shaye and New Line killed that. After much speculation, an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly confirms that none other than Sam Raimi is now "seriously interested" in directing the adaptation. On the short list of directors that make geeks (and I mean that term affectionately) universally happy, Jackson and Raimi are probably at the top, so this should surely please hardcore Hobbit-heads.Raimi, who apparently didn't see King Kong, tells EW: "Peter Jackson might be the best filmmaker on the planet right now. But, um, I don't know what's going to happen next for me right now. First and foremost, those are Peter Jackson and Bob Shaye's films. If Peter didn't want to do it, and Bob wanted me to do it -- and they were both okay with me picking up the reigns -- that would be great. I love the book. It's maybe a more kid-friendly story than the others." So, there it is. Raimi is being very respectful here, and he's using a lot of "ifs," but I can only imagine New Line would be delighted to have Raimi behind the wheel. The only drawback is what this could mean for Spider-Man 4.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-17-2007 @ 10:33AM
Martha Fischer said...
Patrick, you are so not alone. The Hobbit was actually REQUIRED READING at my middle school. I nearly transferred just to avoid finishing it.
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4-17-2007 @ 12:01PM
tonyfromtaos said...
You're right that you were going to upset people with your comments. A person who hasn't even read the Hobbit has no business making comments about a possible movie coming up. Something as powerful as the phenomenon that has followed Tolkien's work ought to be respected and discussed by people who know what they're talking about. Learn how to read ADD boy.
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4-17-2007 @ 12:18PM
josh said...
What in this post required him to have read the book? It would be one thing if he was talking about the content of the book, but the only thing this post talks about is Sam Raimi's interest in doing the movie. Does he also need to know Sam Raimi to make comments him?
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4-17-2007 @ 12:47PM
RLP said...
Whatever ends up getting made, it will definitely be better than the horribly animated Hobbit that was made back in the late 70's. I thought it was a good movie as a child, but after seeing some it a couple years ago, ouch. That music made my ears bleed.
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4-17-2007 @ 2:37PM
AJ MacReady said...
Didn't read The Hobbit? Okay, I can deal with that. But what's up with the snarky, sarcastic "I guess Raimi didn't see King Kong." Aren't we the high and mighty one? It's not like any of us, our like/dislike for how Jackson did his version of King Kong, can deny the man's awesome talent. Or was it simply that the writer felt that Jackson's movie couldn't live up to the mind-blowing spectacle that was the '76 deLaurenttis version? Whatever the reason, I sure hope he feels good, secure in the knowledge that he could have done it better.
Right.
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4-17-2007 @ 2:49PM
benjamin said...
Secure in the knowledge that he could have done it better? How is that relevant in the least?
If you like King Kong so much why don't you marry him?
Game, set, match.
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4-17-2007 @ 4:07PM
Ant said...
Peter Jackson = Single most overrated director in hollywood.
Tolkien = single most overrated author ever (well, maybe a close second to JK Rowling)
It would be nice to see some fresh faces and new ideas come out of hollywood rather than more of the same.
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4-18-2007 @ 11:50AM
Unknown said...
First of all, I,ve tried to read the whole LOTR, but as he did with the Hobbit, I gave up.
But that does'nt make Tolkien a bad writer, it was me who just couldn't go on...
But after some time I borrowed Silmarillion wich is far more difficult to read and hundreds of pages long, but i read it, and it was great! So I bought The Hobbit too, and god what and facinating book! Could'nt put it down!
And when it comes to the making of this film I rather see Peter Jacksons version of the Shire than any others!! He made the hobbits, the dwarfs, the elfs and the magic come to life people!!
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