'Scoop: Neill Blomkamp Directing Hobbit'

maquiladora

District 9 director Neill Blomkamp will be helming The Hobbit.

Rumoured since June (see this TheOneRing.net article), our local sources say it is so, and that filming will begin next year.

South African-raised, Canada-based Blomkamp's first feature film was District 9, a sleeper hit that earnt a nomination for Best Picture at the 2010 Academy Awards. He was mentored during production by Peter Jackson, who recognised his talent after seeing a short film called Alive in Joburg (essentially a low-budget, simplified version of the feature).

Guillermo Del Toro, the original director of The Hobbit, had to drop out due to lengthy financial delays. He will still remain with the project, however, both as a scripwriter and in a supervisory role.

Filming on The Hobbit (parts one and two) is expected to begin next year.

http://www.flicks.co.nz/news/scoop-neill-blomkamp-directing-hobbit/


Hmmmmmmmm....

Basq

Don't like this at all!

Don't get me wrong.. I loved 'District 9' but I don't think it's wise to give such a BIG movie to a director with let's face it, very little else of substance under his belt.. especially in the area of motion pictures.

This is the exact same reason I had reservations about Garth Jennings directing 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'.. and we all know how that turned out!

This news story with Jackson back in June obviously won't come to fruition now. But in saying that, Neill Blomkamp and David Yates were the best of the rumoured directors:

Other film-makers who have been mentioned in connection with the Hobbit job include David Yates, Neill Blomkamp, Brett Ratner and David Dobkin

Brett Ratner and David Dobkin? Christ.. Brett Ratner's made a mess of enough and David Dobkin had made far too many vapid comedies (Fred Claus, Wedding Crashers, Shanghai Knights) to consider taking this one on, but I did like the hugely under-rated 'Clay Pigeons'.

johnny_ultimate

Well, definitely better than Ratner, who I strongly suspect is actually a software algorithm programmed to generate formulaic blockbusters.

Otacon

I really like Blomkamp. He seems to be able to put all the money in his budget onto the screen, similar to Jim Cameron. Hopefully, he continues to do so.

robby^5

Hmm I dont doubt he's (going to be) a great director (1 hit does not a good director make) but comparitively The Hobbit would be a much bigger undertaking than District 9 was and I'm not entirely sure Blomkamp has the experience needed to direct a feature on such a scale yet.

That and his thing seems be SciFi not Fantasy, you could argue they are similar (and feel the wrath of SciFi purists such as myself :P) but he may be somewhat out of his element also.

mikhail

I'm a little cautious about welcoming this too, but he's clearly talented and may be able to draw on Jackson's advice quite a bit.

Magic Eight Ball

If it's true I think it's a bad move onl Blomkamp's part.

Peyton Manning

basquille wrote: »

David Dobkin had made far too many vapid comedies..... Wedding Crashers

Whoa whoa whoa....let's not say something you can't take back, ok?

I'll forgive you, just don't let it happen again!

storm2811

Looks like a District 9 sequel is fading away..:(

Ronanc1

Hmm maybe its all really peters plan, seeing as he was having trouble with newline and unlikely to direct, he's using his protege like a puppet and will direct it through him :eek: Dun dun duuun!

But seriously i'm going to remain watchfull it might work out for the best, seeing as someone said blomkamp doesnt have that much experience he might rely more on peter and that can only be a good thing as peter certainly delivered for the lord of the rings

Orizio

Don't like this, District 9 was both very tedious and very obnoxious.

maquiladora

FILMING on The Hobbit, the long-awaited prequel to The Lord of the Rings, should start in the new year, according to former Bolton School boy Sir Ian McKellen.

“The aim is to start filming in January,” he said.

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/districtnews/8386491.Actor_set_to_return_as_Gandalf/

me-skywalker

Hang on sorry.. what happened to Del Toro?

Ronanc1

Hang on sorry.. what happened to Del Toro?

Gone, Pulled out a couple of months ago due to time constraints and other projects, Everything was coming together a little too slowly and he realised how much time this project was going to consume.

you can read a bit about it here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit_film_project#Development

me-skywalker

Sad face!! Really would have loved his adaptation. Although it does say that the world he created will still be left largely his and the new Director will be using this model, so he'll still have had a hand in it and credits for it.

Ronanc1

I echo your sad face and raise you an optimistic face