No, Tolkien himself has not returned from the grave to protest this film. It is his son Christopher. The 83 year old man has some issue with his father’s works being transformed into cinematic gold.
He was against the making of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (friends say they still don’t think he ever watched the films) and is at it again now that The Hobbit and its sequel are on the fast track to the big screen.
He is asking for “one last crusade” in the long-running court battle he has going with the producers of LOTR. Apparently, he plans to ask a Californian judge to back his claim that he can “terminate” film rights to the Hobbit in a hearing on June 6th. Witnesses say he “is furious with New Line studio.”
I have no clue what his motivations are about not allowing this to happen. Perhaps he is still pissed that he doesn’t have a rotary phone.
I imagine that since the rights were originally secured by New Line, that Tolkien Jr is cashing in on the success of these films his friends don’t even think he has watched. Back in February news hit that the Tolkien Estate was suing because they didn’t think they got their fair cut but never claimed he wanted it stopped.
Now they are making the Hobbit (he had to know this was coming) and he is pushing to stop it? Maybe he is worried he won’t get his fair cut of this one as well.
Frankly, as long as they own up to their contract and pay the right percentage of profits to the rightful holders of the rights to these books, I say go nuts. This guy did nothing but be born to the right father and is profitting from it. Shut your pie hole and wipe your ass with all the money (and now potential for more) daddy left you.
Considering Christopher has been writing his own chapters continuing the story of Lord of the Rings based on abandoned stories his father wrote, you think he would be nicer to the studio. If those are written well, they could be movies too!
If my dad wrote this book I would be in tears daily that it has been brought to a whole new generation in this medium.
