Seems the son of the legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien was unhappy with his cut of the profits from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and as representation of the Tolkien Trust, a lawsuit was born.
Speculation feared that such litigation would result in delays in the Hobbit Prequels already in the works. Fortunately an agreement was made, and a new fellowship was formed. The Hobbit will not be delayed.
The Tolkien Trust was battling it out with New Line Cinema in court for failing to pay 7.5 percent of the gross receipts from the Lord of the Rings films. The parties have since settled their differences and now the project it lawsuit-free.
Well the details of the settlement were not revealed, but I am sure they involved backing up a mammoth covered in money to the Tolkien Trust’s front step.
At least we know that there will not be any delays or court injunctions threatening this film now, and plans can move forward as intended.