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Tolkien Heir trying to stop The Hobbit
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.
I think his motivations are more along the lines of being pissed he doesn’t have the movie rights. If I were in his place, I’d be pissed too.
I’m kinda surprised he’s still up and running (83, wow!) but I think the man is totally justified in raising cane.
It should be pointed out that Christopher Tolkien has written no sequels to the LOTRs, rather he has spent his time editing the HOME (History Of Middle Earth) series which charts the writing process and evolution of Middle Earth along with a couple of other books that either collected short stories or edited incomplete stories into a complete book, like The Silmarillion and the Children of Hurin.
It should be pointed out that in February we talked about Christopher writing his own works based on discarded ideas his father never completed.
Sorry Barron.
If I could, or were courageous enough, I would go up to Christopher Tolkien, tell him how much of a douchebag he’s becoming, and give him the finger. This is ridiculous. Who would try to make two great directors like Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro, who’re better than that low life son of a legendary author, not make an adaptation of what started it all? It’s like you trying to get Spielberg not make E.T.
In short, screw you, Christopher Tolkien, the Hobbit movies will be made whether you want it or not. Get a life, loser.
‘It should be pointed out that in February we talked about Christopher writing his own works based on discarded ideas his father never completed.’
You are correct to a point, regarding the production of works based on on Tolkien’s seniors ideas, Rodney.
But the only work that was produced in recent times, apart from the final few volumes of the HOME series, as far as I am aware, was The Children of Hurin, which was edited together from various disperate sources, all of which came frorm JRR Tolkien, Christopher only acted as the editor.
I also believe that Christopher Tolkien has announced that there are no further works to be published from the archives.
To be honest with you, if there is further material to yet to be produced, I won’t complain.
I have long experience with this situation as a rabid fan of Tolkien and a player of the LOTR Online PC game.
I have done a lot of research on this subject. Here is the real deal.
The media rights to the Fellowship trilogy and the Hobbit belong to a company called Tolkien Enterprises, which is in NO way affiliated with Christopher and the Tolkien Estate.
It is Tolkien Enterprises that Licenses out the LOTR trilogy for any media including videogames, the movies, ect.
Christopher Tolkien is against ANY use of Tolkien material in ANY media. He has been trying to get back the media rights to the books from Tolkien Enterprises for decades.
Christopher is generally considered an A-Hole in the popular community and if it was up to him we wouldn’t have ANY popular media based off of his father’s works.
I don’t know how it is now but it got so bad that when New Line was planning the Movie Trilogy Christopher’s Son and JRR’s grandson came out and supported them. Apparently he and his father were at odds and Christopher supposedly disowned him officially for supporting New Line and Jackson.
I am sure I am only scratching the surface here and there is much more that we will never know.
Maybe he saw the ghastly abortion that was The Two Towers and knew that he couldn’t allow that to be repeated.
Christopher Taylor, this man has been against these movies before they began production. Your personal opinions on this epic adventure have nothing to do with it.