New-Old Directing & Story Changes Rumors

A few new rumors have popped up regarding who the director of The Hobbit films will be, a major story change from the book, and production start date.

To start with, an old rumor returns with Flicks reporting "District 9 director Neill Blomkamp will be helming The Hobbit." This rumor first started around June and was shot down by the director's agency saying that they have never been contacted by MGM or anyone else about the possibility. This rumor remains completely unverified so take it with a grain of salt for now.

In story rumors, The One Ring is reporting that Bilbo Baggins may have a creator impact on the story's final battle then he did in the film. This is based on a story summary Bilbo that is described as "...he doesn’t have huge courage he does become, particularly in the last battle, very brave." In the novel Bilbo essentially misses out on the last battle (The Battle of Five Armies) having been knocked out early on. So this seems to suggest that he either participates in throughout the battle or maybe gets knocked out deeper into the battle as a result of a heroic act. Jackson has shown, to the consternation of diehard fans, he isn't above making changes to the source material if it will service the film.

The final bit of rumor, from the same article, is principle photography may start in January, rather than the previously rumored November date. This actually makes more sense as currently the MGM bankruptcy situation isn't expected to be settled until the end of the year.

Blomkamp Out for Directing The Hobbit

What the rumor gods giveth, they taketh away as The New York Magazine is reporting that Neill Blomkamp (District 9) is not going to direct The Hobbit. Instead his next project will be Elysium, a sci-fi project he created. Previously, The One Ring has reported that multiple sources indicated he was in the running but apparently it was more of a set visit/consultation rather than interview for the job.

"An insider at his agency, William Morris Endeavor, confirms to Vulture that not only is Blomkamp not doing the movie, no one from MGM/United Artists or Warner Bros. has even contacted them about his directing the film." Oh well, sounds like back to square one on the directing issue. This means Peter Jackson may be forced to take the helm, good news for fans, and probably not so much good for PJ.

Neill Blomkamp New Hobbit Director?

The One Ring is suggesting very strongly that Neill Blomkamp has been chosen as the replacement for Guillermo del Toro as the director of The Hobbit films. The information comes from multiple sources, one of who said the information was contained within Warner Bros part of the Time Warner company report for the quarter.

Neill Blomkamp's claim to fame is the Director and writer of district 9 which enjoyed a great deal of success and critical claim. His geek cred runs deep with 3D animator experience on Stargate SG-1, Smallville, Dark Angel and more. However, there doesn't seem anything in his profile to suggest he has experience with this scale of a project, but then again neither did Peter Jackson when he directed The Fellowship of the Ring.

Peter Jackson was also a producer of District 9 so he is familiar with the director's style and how it may fit with the overall vision for The Hobbit. While fans may want Peter Jackson to direct the movies, he has repeatedly made it clear it is an option of last result that will occur only if it’s the only way to get the films made. Picking another colleague that he is familiar with and open to his advice may kill two birds with one stone. It will allow him to avoid the director's chair while still maintaining influence on the film (but to be very clear Blomkamp's decisions would likely be final).

There is likely pressure to get things going on this film, especially for beleaguered MGM who would like to make their first major project a hit. There are also a few time constraints at work now that unofficial pre-production is in full swing with sets, props, and designs being completed. Casting is rumored to have been decided on a few characters with more in the works. The San Diego Comic Con is coming on July 22nd and I am sure both Peter Jackson and the studios would like information of significance to announce to start to get the hype machine rolling.

So all this theorizing really means is that a new director has to be chosen quickly, he has to be willing to accept decisions made by others up to this point while diving in and catching up very quickly. Someone that Peter Jackson has worked with before would fit that bill and Blomkamp is one of the few that does. In a weird way Blomkamp's lack of epic movie experience may be a plus as most established Hollywood directors would step in and feel a need to scrap everything up to this point just to ensure their "vision" (aka ego) is stamped onto the production. Hopefully an official announcement will be made soon on the future of The Hobbit films.