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UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
When Guillermo del Toro vacated the directing chair on two installments of The Hobbit, the prospect of Peter Jackson taking over was labeled a near impossibility by his camp. That seemed to be contradicted a day later by Jackson’s own comments to a New Zealand newspaper when he said “If that’s what I have to do to protect Warner Brothers’ investment, then obviously that’s one angle which I’ll explore.” Is Jackson easing his way into the job? According to his manager, Ken Kamins, nothing has changed. Jackson’s film commitments are real, though he hasn’t told us yet what they are, and Kamins maintains efforts are underway in New Zealand right now to find another director who’ll keep the project on track to start production in late 2010 or early 2011.
Per Kamins: “When Peter says that directing himself is one angle he’d explore if he had to, that means, if we can’t find another director who is right for the films that everyone can agree on, and, if at that time, the other studios involved in his other projects would relieve him of his obligations.’”
I will be surprised if Jackson doesn’t direct, it solves too many problems for it not to happen. He co-wrote the films and is fully staked creatively. Based on the job he did on The Lord of the Rings, nobody does Middle Earth better and it would be daunting to try. Many of the big directors who could pull it off are booked, like Alfonso Cuaron (the 3D space film Gravity with Robert Downey Jr.) Bryan Singer (directing Jack the Giant Killer early next year and producing X-Men: First Class this fall) or Sam Raimi (World of Warcraft, plus why would he want to re-engage when MGM/New Line originally chose del Toro over him?). If they enlist a hot newcomer for such a gargantuan creative task, Jackson would be so tied up in a mentoring role that he might as well direct himself.
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With the failure of Lovely Bones and King Kong, it may be that Jackson pushed Del Toro to a point where he would leave so that Jackson himself could recapture that Directing helm.
Oh, sweet ego.
V
Certainly Lovely Bones was a failure, but how was King Kong a failure? With 83% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and a half billion dollars in total box office, it surely doesn’t meet any definition of a failed project.
It was a failure because it was a shitty three-hour remake of a 90 minute movie. Critics were too enamored with Jackson because of LotR to see the movie for what it was, a bombastic ego trip.
That doesn’t make it a failure except to those who didn’t like it.
had a production budget over 200M and lost the holidays to the first narnia movie. that movie was mighty painful to sit through jack black and everyone else in the film was highly annoying and the direction was unspectacular. it was a disappointing follow up to the LOTR films.
That doesn’t make it a failure. It’s about MONEY. It made a ton, so it is considered a tremendous success. I feel the new Star Trek movie was horrendous and absolute crap. In my eyes it was a complete bomb, but it made a ton of money regardless of how I feel it raped the franchise. It was a success, and is why there is a sequel.
King Kong = Money
Star Trek = Money
LOTR = Money
Regardless if Jackson does The Hobbit.
It will make money.
Your post is an ego trip.
Agreed—PJ’s career is floundering, and Tintin sounds on its face like a loser. Can he really afford another flop after the panned Lovely Bones? Don’t think so.
You’re talking about the guy who got New Line to hire him for three Lord of the Rings movies after directing exactly one studio movie, which was a massive flop? Yeah, his career’s totally in trouble.
Although “Lovely Bones” was a disappoinment, “King Kong” was far from a flop, it grossed over $550 million worldwide and nearly hit $1 billion in revenue after home video sales.
Peter Jackson might be using “The Hobbit” as an excuse to get out of the risky “Tin Tin” as a director, leaving the entire trilogy on Spielberg’s shoulders.
The failure of King Kong? I’ll give you that The Lovely Bones was a fail, but King Kong made nearly $600 million. That’s more then two and a half times it’s production budget. It also is “certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not doing too bad both financially and critically.
Also, if you keep up with the movie, Jackson’s never wanted to do the Hobbit. He has been fully supportive and helpful to Del Toro during the process. He didn’t want to make the Hobbit, that’s why he’s doing Tin Tin with Speilberg…I think if you work with Steven you’re doing pretty good for yourself. The only reason Jackson WOULD make this is to save the financial losses that would occur if he didn’t.
PJ needs The Hobbit as much as it needs him. Del Toro was not pushed off, but it would be a smart move for PJ to direct it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Jackson took the director’s chair again. I wouldn’t be a fan of Singer or Raimi directing, but what about Neill Blomkamp? Jackson’s investment in him with District 9 certainly paid off last summer.
In terms of Blomkamp’s career, it seems like the wrong move to handle “The Hobbit” right now. I’d much rather see Blomkamp tackle a original film and a potential “District 9″ sequel before doing something like “The Hobbit.” Let him develop his voice as a director before becoming Peter Jackson’s full time lackey.
His films may be hit and miss, but I think Neil Marshall is the guy to handle “The Hobbit”. He’s established and would probably toe the company line, if pressured to do so.
It’s my contention that Mr. Jackson secretly knows that no one is better suited for these films then del Toro or himself, and while I think that del Toro’s commitments to Universal and MGM’s uncertainties were significant factors in del Toro’s departure…I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we eventually find out that there were other ‘creative differences’ which emerged throughout the project’s prep.
The only way ‘The Hobbit’ will be made as fully satisfyingly as it can at this juncture is for Peter to take over the reigns…otherwise, I say shelve it for a while, and come back when things are more sorted.
Is Niell Blomkamp up to the task?
What about his co-writers? They’ve been with PJ every step of the way…
Uh oh… Gollum: “He wants the precious. Always he is looking for it. And the precious is wanting to go back to him… But we mustn’t let him have it.” … lets hope the script didn’t relate to the inner termoil, there could be a lot more drama in the making… Why if you are a “Great Director” do you mastermind other directors into your projects? either serious worries about capability, or sheer Machiavellian intent, however foolish it may seem from outside? The Emperors New Clothes are being examined right now, and the penny will drop. Epitaph = Faux Speilbug/Chop Shop.
What about Brian Henson? He’s producing the upcoming Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock movies, he’s directed Farscape, two Muppet Movies and Dinosaurs. He clearly knows his way around creatures and F/X. I’d rather see someone with a strong background in fantasy storytelling do it than most of the big action directors around right now.
Brian Henson is an inspired choice.
please stop smoking crack. it will never happen, henson rep.
Blomkamp is great. But stylistically 180 degrees from the style of LOTR. If they decide to go
that way, then yeah. But if they want a more classical filmmaking style in the vein of LOTR, why waste Blomkamp on it?
jackson should’ve done it from the start to carry on the vision from LOTR, but it’s obvious he has other interests. sadly, any film facing these many changes/delays will never reach its full artistic potential.
I’m not so certain I’d want Jackson “mentoring” anyone. It’s a fucking movie… and he’s had his fair share of duds.
Methinks it might happen. I used to work at New Line, and know their shady accounting practices. And now that it’s a Warners project, why not? Could be Hobbit-forming …
would not be surprised if Peter just takes the directors chair and finishes what he started with lord of the rings. though he may wind up doing double duty with Tin tin and the hobbit. for peter knows how middle earth can be done on film he might as well finish the journey off with the Hobbit.
I know this makes me sound like a nerd, but it’s Tintin, not “Tin Tin.”
Can we stop quoting Rotten Tomatoes “fresh” meter scores as the end-all, be-all sign of a movie’s quality? So what if 83% (with no-name internet critics counted in the mix) thought KONG was “fresh.” A lot of critics didn’t like it and most were so wrapped up in the LORD OF THE RINGS bandwagon they couldn’t see the reality of how disappointing the film was.
I wouldn’t call it a flop, because the numbers show it was a financial success (if not a blockbuster), but it was not an artistic success by any means. I think people realize that now, and together with LOVELY BONES, I think Jackson is on a real downward turn.
Rotten Tomatoes is actually a pretty good measure of a movie’s quality. I’ve been following it for YEARS, and typically it’s pretty accurate when in the 75 – 100% range or in the 0 – 25% range for a bad film. Artistically, I did think King Kong was pretty damn good. The casting could have been better and there was one Skull Island wideshot that looked fake, but the dinosaur battles were awesome and King Kong CGI was impeccably done.
I think you’re totally wrong to think there was any kind of LOTR bandwagon, with people on-board thinking Peter Jackson could do no wrong. I still watch King Kong on DVD from time to time and love it. Lovely Bones, however, was garbage.
Who could direct “The Hobbit” if not PJ himself? After the departure of Del Toro, wouldn’t the film feel tainted? Whether it’s Sam Raimi or Brian Singer or Darren Aronofsky, I don’t care who takes over, it just feels like either sloppy seconds or too many cooks stirring the pot. The new director would have no say on what the creatures or key action sequences will look like (the creature designs and animatics are finished by team WETA and Del Toro), and would have to struggle to bring his own imprint into the material, and it’s not going to be about the material anymore, but whether or not the producers will allow the new director free reign, especially since, as it stands right now, creatively there is no room for improvement, is there? Isn’t preproduction finished? If a new helmer who is not Peter Jackson takes over, it’s going to be “X Men 3″ all over again.
Terry Gilliam?
Yeah,as if Gilliam’s going to take someone else’s sloppy seconds.(Not to mention Warner’s has some kind of problem with him- when J.K. Rowling said he was her first choice for HARRY POTTER, the flat-out told her that was never going to happen).
Lovley Bones was terrible. Jackson is a hack director. He knows how to use coverage in a technical sense but has no grasp of characters with complex emotions. He might do well with films that have simple dramatic arcs and plain emotional through lines, but he cannot handle dramas or any type of story that shows depth and complexity. He should stick to fantasy films like The Hobbit. Give up anything challenging and mature to directors like Cuaron, Mendes, and Fincher.
Spike Jonze! Ha..whooo..that would be nuts.
King Kong “a flop” ?? “disapointing”?? you fucking on crack or something.
Peter Jackson is the only logical choice now to take over and fortunately, he’s also the best choice. If Del Toro’s fingerprints are all over the script and the development of the creatures, then PJ has been along every step of the way to fully understand what Del Toro imagined, and of course, he has already shown what he can do himself with Middle Earth. Just get going with the films already, before none of the original LOTR actors can plausibly play ny returning characters. Let’s keep the continuity and everything that worked so well from the first films. I do not want a complete re-imagining of Middle Earth. I loved PJ’s creation and want more.
Peter Jackson is a hack. If Peter Jackson is a hack, then I invite every other hack to bring us more stunningly epic stories that make fantastical beings come alive as multi-dimensional and deeply empathetic in a world made of sticks, stones and a little piece of gold, and, where not for one frame, did the brilliant directing and effects detract from the stunning pathos and resonant metaphors. Please, hack away everybody – except the fucking idiot that made that comment – please go pack up your Jar Jar figurines and return to your job at The Android’s Dungeon. Go on now, shoo.
Agreed – as great as Mendes, Fincher et al. can be, it’s a bit easier to bring the complex emotions of human beings to life than it is to make fictional, non human creatures worth seven hours of an audience’s time – which Jackson did flawlessly. The Lovely Bones was an extremely challenging piece of material. Yes, it didn’t work, but I’m glad some directors are still up for challenging themselves.
Peter Jackson is a hack? Really? The world needs more hacks like him.