DEBATE: Who should direct THE HOBBIT?
It’s now the most coverted directing job in Hollywood, an opportunity for a director to film one of popular culture’s most cherished novels and a rare and possibly last chance film a movie in Tolkien’s Middle Earth.
New Line’s Bob Shaye, gives us an update on THE HOBBIT’s director…
“There is obviously a small but significant number of directors who could handle two films of this magnitude, but we have no commitment to anybody. Now that Peter is an integral part of the decision-making process, we all have to see eye-to-eye on any candidate we try to enlist.”
So my guess is they have their eye on a few people. Remember that New Line list that went around a while ago with a shortlist of names they wanted to helm the picture. It looked something like this…
Sam Raimi (SPIDER-MAN 1-3, THE EVIL DEAD) (first choice, the rest of the names were only if he turned them down).
Peter Weir (MASTER AND COMMANDER, THE TRUMAN SHOW)
Stephen Sommers (THE MUMMY, VAN HELSING)
Michael Bay (THE ISLAND, TRANSFORMERS)
Brad Silberling (LEMONY SNICKETT)
Bill Condon (DREAMGIRLS, KINSEY)
The only name above that we can rule out for sure would be Sommers, as he’s now working on G.I. JOE which should see him busy for the next 18 months. The rest should be ok to direct it, if called upon.
Top of the list is Raimi. Ever since the rumors of the director’s involvement last Christmas when an agreement with Jackson looked untenable, Raimi has distanced himself from any directorial projects and has been very quiet over his own future on his SPIDER-MAN franchise.
Raimi is a huge Tolkien fan. He has said in the past he would like to work under Peter Jackson and Jackson himself has said the same back, so there doesn’t really seem to be a lot stopping this from becoming a reality.
Peter Weir would be a fantastic choice and would have my vote if Raimi was not interested.
Of course you can’t talk about fantasy projects without bringing up the name of Guillermo del Toro. The director of HELLBOY and PAN’S LABYRINTH has been seen by many as ‘the next Peter Jackson’ who is just waiting for a big budget project to take his career to the next level. Del Toro is a huge fan favourite for this job and he has already turned down two fantasy franchises (HARRY POTTER, NARNIA) and if that third offer turns out to be THE HOBBIT, it might just be too big for him to waver.
Alfonso Cuaron must also be a favourite. The talented director of HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN and CHILDREN OF MEN… certainly has the chops and drive for something like this.
Anyone who has directed a HARRY POTTER movie should be in with a shout.
Then what about Neil Blomkamp, or would that bring up too many problems that would see a repeat situation of HALO. Is Blomkamp even a Tolkien fan?
So here’s the debate. Who should direct THE HOBBIT. We have a list of possible candidates below, let me know what you think…
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Michael Bay was BORN to direct the Hobbit! Some may disagree but let me make my case.
We can have Frodo getting pissed on by some Orcs, have Gandalf saying “My bad,” and other such clever banter. There will be a black characte worked in who will spout all sorts of hip-hop slang, so the studio can know they’ve appealed to the 15-34 demographic.
Bay would have pretty gils with no talent but plenty of sex-appeal–actin skill is SO overrated, it’s the visuals that really count.
Explosions all over the place –OH AND MY FAVORITE PART, the U.S. military would be worked into the story somehow, because like Bay said in Transformers, “For a threat this big the ONLY onees who could believeably take it on would be the US military.” So there would be helicopters and guys in cool-looking military gear.
Imagine it! Michael Bay would make The Hobbit 100 times cooler than Jackson’s boring old trilogy ever was. Hell, the Hobbit will be the coolest movie since CRANK. and who cares if it totally diverges from what JRR Tolkien wrote, you know this is a MOVIE and not a novel, don’t you?
After all, this is just a stupid movie about some drarves and magicians.
Maybe if Bay goes to work on someone else’s beloved franchise people will think twice before making excuses for work that should have been more respectful of the source material.
Comment by JaySmack | December 20, 2007
You need many years of therapy…
Nah, not really. Ok maybe. But this is obviously a bullshit post seeing as you just want some kind of attention or response to your message. I guess it was slightly amusing to read, but other than that, your comment is quite pointless. I want Michael Bay nowhere near the Hobbit(i’m pretty damn sure Peter Jackson will feel the same way) I think it’s gonna be Sam Raimi, or at least someone who can bring the necessary style to the series and also someone who can handle it in a way that PJ did.
Comment by ALK | December 20, 2007
I love JaySmack’s comment! Let’s mix things up a bit! And let’s face it, for those of us that know and love the LOTR novels - The Hobbit is little more than a bland prequel to introduce the backdrop with some twee fairytale stylings.
One alternative, however, is to give it to Guillermo del Toro. That way the world can become dark and twisted, Bilbo can really be a child escaping from the brutal truth of reality through the mystical power of the ring, and with his experience in ghosts and vampires del Toro can spice up the runt of the litter nicely with some violence and traditional horror techniques…
Comment by Michael Edwards | December 20, 2007
Michael Bay is the first one on this list to eliminate. If you like Michael Bay films, you need to start watching more film in general. His shit sucks. The Hobbit is a story in the truest sense of the word–there is very little action in the book–and Bay has proven over and over that his version of a script is a collection of CGI events, not storytelling.
Comment by CMC | December 20, 2007
ALK, you’re dumb as a retarded goat. Not really. A retartded goat is WAY smarter.
I didn’t make my post for your ignorant amusement. It was a declaration, not an invitation. Nothing in the post was about you. No replies were warranted, or asked for.
That means STFU!
Nuff said.
Comment by JaySmack | December 21, 2007
erm, what about terry gilliam
Comment by greatallgreat | December 21, 2007
Basically, the consesus should be let’s choose Gilliam or Bay because either the film may be left unfinished or just given some action to replace the mundane, flavourless fairyland world. The Hobbit is just bloody boring, anyone who thinks it’s a decent book needs to read more, and anyone who wants to see another Tolkien based movie needs to move on and find something else to cling to!!
Comment by Michael Edwards | December 22, 2007