Christopher Lee attended the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this week, and our friends from RushBlogg, Karsten and Eirik, were on hand to talk to him. Of all the attendees, Meinich was the only one who asked Lee about his involvement in The Hobbit. Lee's answer came as quite a surprise -- first, he's adamant that he won't be appearing in The Hobbit, because as we all know, Saruman isn't in the book. This comes as no surprise -- Lee is a Tolkien purist (thank goodness!) and he won't allow himself to be shoehorned in, even if Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro were interested in doing so.

But what about the much discussed second film, which would likely deal with the Council of Wizards? That's a location problem. Lee isn't interested in filming in New Zealand again because it is simply too far away, for too long of a time. You can hear the tiredness in his voice -- and perhaps a bit of regret too.

That doesn't mean Lee isn't interested in being in The Hobbit at all, however! He'll appear in the film as long as he can stay in London, and there's a character he's quite keen to play. Or rather, voice. Someone very large, with a penchant for gold...

Head on over to RushBlogg and watch their video of Lee. It's a fantastic clip, and listening to him talk about Saruman, Return of the King, the Council of Wizards, and much more. It's like story-time. I could listen to him talk about Middle Earth for hours.

[Thanks Karsten!]

With all the excitement this week over the news of Guillermo del Toro's confirmed role in the director's chair for the two Hobbit movies, it's a little refreshing to find a dissenting opinion, if only to keep the excitement from getting to exaggerated. Salon's Andrew O'Heir doesn't take kindly to the news in his Beyond the Multiplex blog, structuring his argument against the latest report in a calculated manner. First, O'Heir quotes from an interview he did with del Toro at Cannes in 2006, where the director stated his disdain for "heroic fantasy." It's quite possible that he has changed his stance on this, and not just because of The Hobbit: As recently as a few days ago, he was spotted at a protest staged by HETFET (Humans for the Ethical Treatment of Faeries, Elves and Trolls), which may or may not have been a publicity stunt on his part.

The rest of O'Heir's piece holds water. He thinks the franchise has been ensnared by greed and too many people are in charge. Reflecting on Peter Jackson's expansive power, O'Heir questions the director's comfort with handing the story over to another filmmaker ("It smells of George Lucas") and predicts an incoming conflict. He likes del Toro's work, but worries that the director might be working in somebody else's back yard. "We've got one of the true cinematic visionaries of our age, spending four years of his life in a universe created by another one," he writes. "It's just too many cooks in the kitchen."

What do you think? Is del Toro getting in over his head?

By now it has become so customary to see the words "New Line" and "Lord of the Rings" and "lawsuit" together that I almost didn't even bother looking into this story. But then I noticed that it could affect the making of those two Hobbit movies we're all so excited about. Yes, that's right, there's a chance those movies are in jeopardy again, thanks to the folks running the estate of author J.R.R. Tolkien. According to the Associated Press, this latest suit was filed Monday by The Tolkien Trust, a British charity that manages Tolkien's estate, and HarperCollins, the publishing company that originally put out the Lord of the Rings books.

The main claim is that New Line has failed to pay The Tolkien Trust and other plaintiffs a promised 7.5% of the Lord of the Rings trilogy's gross receipts. The amount asked for in the case, however, is only $150 million, which (correct me if I'm wrong) seems to me to be a mere 2.5% of the reported $6 billion the films have earned worldwide. The plaintiffs also seek unspecified punitive charges and the right to terminate New Line's rights to make those Hobbit movies being executive produced by LOTR director Peter Jackson. An attorney for the Tolkien estate mentioned that The Tolkien Trust does not "file lawsuits lightly" and has tried its hardest to settle the matter out of court. So, it looks like this will be a serious, long-going battle. And just when we thought everyone involved in these films was happy and ready to move on. We'll have to wait and see if we get those "prequels", at the helm of Guillermo Del Toro or anyone else, in 2010 and 2011 after all.

As The Golden Compass hits theaters, the trailer for New Line's next big fantasy flick, Inkheart, has arrived online alongside a website. When Cinematical flew to London earlier this year to visit the set of Compass, Inkheart was the other movie we got to check out ... and we (meaning I) dug it. Based on the novel by Cornelia Funk (which, like Compass, is the first in a trilogy -- with Inkspell and the soon-to-be-released Inkdeath following behind), Inkheart follows the story of a man named Mo (Brendan Fraser doing his best Mummy lite) who has the ability to read stories aloud and bring fictional characters to life. When he brings three characters from the book Inkheart into the real world, Mo and his daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) soon find they've bit off more than they can chew.

The greatest thing about Inkheart: The Movie? Andy Serkis plays the villain! Ah, but this time he's not covered in CGI (Gollum from Lord of the Rings) or ape hair (King Kong); yes, this time, Serkis gets to play a real-life guy (or, well, a character from a book who's brought to life). And based on the trailer, he looks great. Also starring in the film are Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany and Jim Broadbent. We'll have a full report from the set of Inkheart shortly before its March 19 release date. Until then, enjoy the trailer and let us know what you think.

First off, who the hell are Marketsaw and what are they smoking? Additionally, can I have some? Okay, so this site called Marketsaw claims to have received word that Peter Jackson will indeed direct The Hobbit -- split up into two different parts -- and that both films will be shot in 3D. Yup. Marketsaw. And the reason why we believe them is because most of their text shows up in these annoying red and green colors. They say they're "100% SURE that this is happening." We don't know who they talked to or how they acquired this information, but the site says an official announcement should be coming soon.

Apart from the two Hobbit films in 3D, Marketsaw also says Jackson will revisit his Lord of the Rings trilogy and convert all three over to 3D and release them between 2012 and 2014. If true, of course, this is the most unbelievable news, like, EVER! But we have no idea who these people are or where they're getting their information from, so for the time being you'll have to consider this a giant rumor. As recently as October, EW reported that tensions between New Line and Peter Jackson had lowered to a simmer, after both sides had been tied up in legal wranglings for well over a year. In that time, names like Sam Raimi had been tossed around The Hobbit project, but nothing official hit. We know New Line wants to make The Hobbit, and we know the fans want Peter Jackson to direct it, so could it be that both sides finally found civil ground and Jackson was given the go-ahead to split up the films and make them in 3D? I hope so. And if this does turn out to be true, kudos to Marketsaw for breaking the news we've been waiting to hear for a long, long time.

[via Cinema Blend]

Well you didn't expect that much time to pass before folks started having a bit of fun with this whole Dumbledore is gay thing. As you may recall, late last week J.K. Rowling outed the character during a reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sparking much debate on this blog and across these great internets. So, you might be wondering, what's left to discuss? How about a list of some other memorable childhood characters who, quite possibly, wouldn't surprise us in their coming out of the closet. Yes, both Vulture and Radar went there, providing readers with two different lists full of fictional characters who could -- dun dun dun -- be ... gay!

Over on Vulture, they target such beloved characters as Fozzie Bear from The Muppet Show, Schroeder from Peanuts, The Flash (is it because he's flaming?), Spock from Star Trek, and -- here's the shocker -- Lando Calrissian from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. (I think the cape is what does him in, but that's me.) Radar, on the other hand, has Willy Wonka (a fine choice, if I may say so myself) on their list, as well as Happy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Samwise Gangee from Lord of the Rings (Sam's not gay, he's just ... emotional), The Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Mr. Tumnus from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Check out both lists and let us know what you think -- is this taking it a bit too far? Or, are there characters they're missing?

It's been awhile since we all got together and complained about Spider-Man 3, and although the topic is a tad old, I came across an animated video today that's worth a watch. It's from the same peeps who put out all those How It Should've Ended videos; I'm not sure if you've watched any of their stuff, but some of it's pretty damn funny. Their latest takes a look at Spider-Man 3, and offers up suggestions on how it should've ended. But it's not just the ending; they actually go through most of the film, in brief snippets, and give their take on how certain scenes would've played better. Keep in mind it's supposed to be comedic in tone -- so when Spidey drops down to find a little kid who's pissed off about all the narration, don't take it seriously. (Although a scene like that in the actual film would've rocked.)

Apart from the Spidey 3 video, they also tackle films like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Superman ("Villain's are stupid"), Lord of the Rings, The Matrix Revolutions, Star Wars Episode IV, The Blair Witch Project (one of the funnier ones) and a fake trailer for Ocean's 40, featuring cartoon images of the 40 actors they'd need for the film. If you're looking to waste some time on Friday afternoon, might I suggest heading over to their YouTube page -- there's plenty of content to check out, and a good majority of it will have you LOL'ing all day long. For those interested, I've included the Spider-Man 3 video up top.

Once again this past week gave us another movie that broke another record (biggest opening during a non-holiday week). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix took in $140 million since Wednesday ($77.4 million over the weekend alone), adding a whopping $190 million in 44 other countries around the world. Obviously, this kid is popular. I don't know many people who haven't at least read one of the six Potter books or watched one of the five films; my best friend (who happens to be one of those people) recently told me that he was staying away from the series until it's completed. "If I read one, I'm going to want to know that the entire series is available in both formats," he said. So, until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits theaters, my friend wants nothing to do with the kid.

But he's not alone. Now it's time for my confession: I also happen to be one of those people -- except, I have no urge to read and/or see anything that has to do with Harry Potter. I haven't picked up a book, nor have I watched any of the films. Somehow I've managed to write a number of Potter-related posts over the years, but usually I spend about a half hour on Wikipedia, while also running questions past those Potter freaks on the Cinematical staff. Like with comic-related stuff, you get one fact wrong -- one misspelled name -- and the fanatics will attack. And they will attack hard. Here's the thing though -- no one has ever convinced me to read or watch. The people that love Harry simply tell me "I have to read!" or "It's so awesome!" -- but that's about as far as they go. I mean, what's so great about this kid? I don't see it. When it came time to decide whether I would watch Lord of the Rings, my friend sat down and explained the world, the backstory and the characters; essentially, he sold me on the series. I subsequently watched all three films and loved them. No one has done that for me with Potter. At least, not yet.

So, I ask you: Here's a chance for you fans to sell us non-fans -- What's so great about Harry Potter?

Despite all the rumors and confirmed reports last year that Warner Bros. was making a new Conan movie, the studio failed to get the project going by its spring 2007 deadline. So, the rights to Robert E. Howard's character were put up for auction. Fortunately for Time Warner, the parent company of Warner Bros., the goods were picked up by its other subsidiary, New Line Cinema. Now, New Line has an 18 month option and one extension, so unless it wants to throw away the money it just spent, the studio will hopefully have something to deliver to theaters in the next few years. Considering Warners couldn't get something off the ground with big-deal talent like the Wachowski Brothers, Robert Rodriguez or Conan the Barbarian director John Milius, it is hard to imagine who, if anybody, could make this happen. Of course, now, thanks to the success of 300, it may be possible that any script featuring swords and loincloths will get a greenlight. Plus, New Line only needs to put the words 'the studio that brought you Lord of the Rings' to get people in seats. The studio could hire the worst filmmakers out there and probably still do alright.

But then the fans might put up a fuss. Still, the fans will likely be disappointed enough if Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't return to the role. And since he's just begun his second term as Governor of California, I don't think he'll be available before New Line's deadline. If you grew up in the '80s, though, your first idea of Conan was probably Schwarzenegger's portrayal, and it may be difficult to imagine another actor taking on the part. Despite the fact that Conan was in novels and comics and elsewhere for decades before Milius' film, accepting a substitute in the next movie would be like accepting another actor as The Terminator, or as Danny DeVito's twin brother. Personally, I think that without Mako, who died last year, there's already no point in trying to associate the new Conan film with the old ones, so I welcome all new faces.

Unlike Ryan, who has written most of the info on The Dark is Rising up until now, I am not familiar with Susan Cooper's fantasy novels. So, as is often the case, I'm looking at a poster with a fresh mindset. I have read some bits and pieces about the adaptation, though, and have seen some of the disappointed comments regarding the choice of director and the changes made from book to movie. I can't imagine that this new poster, which MTV shares with us, gives any new hope to fans.

First of all, the title and credits in the middle is just not pleasing to the eye. It could just be my being used to seeing them on the bottom, but something about their placement there makes all the stuff beneath seem unimportant yet distracting. Obviously the placement is to divide the two groups of characters, but they seem so contrasted that each makes the other appear kinda silly. The top section looks like a cheap Lord of the Rings knockoff -- Christopher Eccleston's Rider even seems to intentionally evoke Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn -- while the bottom section looks more Clockstoppers than Harry Potter, which is what I imagine the studio would prefer (though this didn't work for Eragon).

This is the kind of one-sheet that makes me wish Drew Struzan could paint every poster. The style, though more photoshop/photorealistic, is totally his, with all the little plot details represented in the background, but the composition and design is nowhere near as good. It isn't even as good as most of those influenced by his style these days. Whoever made it should have paid more attention to the original Fellowship of the Ring poster, and learned how to copy correctly. If this artwork does have you intrigued, take a look at the production stills we released last month. And make sure to see if the movie does the books justice when it comes out this October.