I’m probably about seven months late with this news, and everyone knows it already, but… the midgets are back!
(Sidebar: the headline pun below is the sort of thing that used to make poor Mary Jo Pehl groan in the writers’ room, back in puppety days. So naturally the rest of us did it all the time. Um… we were jerks.)
(Back to our subject:)
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Hard ‘Hobbit’ to Break: Jackson’s In
By JAKE COYLE, AP
16 hours ago
NEW YORK — Bilbo lives!
After publicly feuding for more than a year, “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have reached agreement to make J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” a planned two-film prequel to the blockbuster trilogy.
Jackson, who directed “Rings,” will serve as executive producer for two “Hobbit” pictures. They will tell the story of how the young hobbit Bilbo Baggins originally came to possess the nefarious One Ring that Frodo, his adopted heir, needed three films to dispose of.
A director for the films has yet to be named. Production is tentatively set to begin in 2009 with a release planned for 2010, and the sequel following in 2011.
Relations between Jackson and New Line soured after “Rings” despite a collective worldwide box office gross of nearly $3 billion. Jackson shepherded Tolkien’s Middle-Earth saga to a combined 17 Academy Awards including best picture for 2003’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” The trilogy also includes 2002’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and 2001’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”
“I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line,” Jackson said in a statement. “We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth.”
More here. And probably everywhere.
A hobbit greets fans.
As a certified professional riffer (well, license pending), this news is quite welcome to me.
As a certified geek (longstanding guild member), I am delighted.
Let there be midgets!
*
*UPDATE!*
Seems Peter Jackson is working fast, and has already shot the opening scene. See it below:
(tip of the hat to Rifftraxian Patrick S for this info.)
25 responses so far ↓
1 Bill Corbett on Dec 19, 2007 at 4:49 am
I don’t like it when they dance, though. If they stumble from too much of the Gaffer’s brew, they could headbutt you in the tender vittles. I wouldn’t like that.
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2 wurwolf on Dec 19, 2007 at 5:18 am
So when’s the Rifftrax for this coming out?
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Reply from Bill Corbett on December 19, 2007:
Next week.
3 Patrick S on Dec 19, 2007 at 5:55 am
Until the movie, here is a little something to hold you over:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XC73PHdQX04
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Reply from Bill Corbett on December 19, 2007:
That’s actually a preview of the movie.
I’ll update the post.
4 Rufus T. on Dec 19, 2007 at 6:38 am
If only we could bring back Billy Barty. That would make this the best day ever.
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Reply from "Sticks" on December 19, 2007:
A groin-level zombie is a BAD idea. BAD.
5 Courtney on Dec 19, 2007 at 6:40 am
Is it too much to ask for a mid-movie breakdown where they all do “The Safety Dance”? Because they can dance if they want to.
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6 Rufus T. on Dec 19, 2007 at 7:24 am
There was, originally, an intermission planned for the Star Wars Holiday Special. That video was supposed to be featured during said intermission. Sadly the producers felt that intermissions had gone out of style.
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7 Bill Corbett on Dec 19, 2007 at 7:28 am
I call overuse of midget on this one. Ten yard penalty:
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Reply from Kei on December 19, 2007:
“Overuse of midget”?
No such thing.
Don’t take that as a challenge, though.
Reply from doggans on December 19, 2007:
Who knew Anakin Skywalker enjoyed marching through Ren Faires, singing with midgets and ditzy blondes?
Reply from wurwolf on December 19, 2007:
Wow, Bill, it must be nice to have a job where you just sit around all day, looking at You Tube videos, making up nicknames and obsessively refreshing your blog for the latest comments. Where can I get a job like that?
Oh…. wait.
Reply from Edgewriter on December 19, 2007:
Bill, you Riffclown, don’t listen to thurwolf, we like the fact that you reply to those of us losers that have enough time on our hands to make comments on blogs written by low level celebrities.
None of the other riffers would dirty their hands by getting down in the mud with us. kudo’s to you.
Mike Rowe should do a segment on what you do. You are one of those hard working americans that do a job that most of us would lift our nose at.
Yet without the humble riffclown where would we be?
That’s right, we would be forced to watch films like Glitter or Battlefield Earth without someone funnier than us around to make jokes about them. What kind of existence is that? I myself have made it a goal to make sure that the people in my life don’t let that happen.
I force the riffclown on my loved ones to make their lives a little better.
Reply from Bill Corbett on December 19, 2007:
““Overuse of midget”?
No such thing.
Don’t take that as a challenge, though.”
Sorry, too late:
8 Kei on Dec 19, 2007 at 7:31 am
Hm. I’m a little surprised at the new direction the movie’s going in.
Surprised and delighted. Maybe they’ll finally get it right this time.
Groovy.
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9 wurwolf on Dec 19, 2007 at 10:18 am
Yet again, my attempt at good-natured ribbing goes awry. Who has a job where they watch videos on YouTube, obsessively refresh their blog and make things up? That would be me (hence the “Oh… wait.”). No slander was intended towards Bill on my part.
Bill, I apologize if what I said offended you, and I agree with Edgewriter in that I wholeheartedly appreciate how you are willing to roll around in the muck with your fans.
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Reply from Edgewriter on December 19, 2007:
No big deal. I was just trying to find a way to fit in a Dirty Jobs reference and your post helped. So thanks.
Reply from wurwolf on December 19, 2007:
Ha! Well played. Glad I could help!
Reply from Bill Corbett on December 19, 2007:
Of course I knew it was just kidding, wurwolf. Fear not.
As for muck-rolling…well, muck is my natural home.
Mike and Kevin are also spending time in the lovely slime* too, to be fair.
(*comments, if it’s not clear)
10 Tim on Dec 19, 2007 at 10:40 am
Old Tovey…
…the finest weed in the south farthing.
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11 Natureboy on Dec 19, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Bill, it seems you are listening old Randy Newman tunes a little too much lately.
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12 Edgewriter on Dec 19, 2007 at 5:29 pm
The funniest part of the Bilbo Baggins song is hearing Leonard Nimoy sing the words “Fuzzy Wuzzy Toes”
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13 Eddie Colton on Dec 19, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Bill! You know you just posted this because you wish you’d thought of that headline. You couldn’t even leave it alone. You had to draw attention to it in case we missed it. Come out of the closet, man. We understand. Heck, you can do a whole POST of bad pun headlines if you want. It’s your blog, we’re just livin’ in it.
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14 John H. on Dec 20, 2007 at 1:27 pm
And the price for best (and only) good use of the Nimoy Bilbo Baggins video goes to…. Azathoth, blind idiot god at the center of the cosmos writhing to the monotonous piping of monstrous flautists!
But here to accept the award on his behalf is Bill Corbitt.
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