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Kristin Thompson, author of "The Frodo Franchise", has commented on the recent rumour that New Line would be folded into Warner (which New Line denied in an e-mail to TORn) - you can find her full blog post here. I'll only quote her musings on the influence such developments - or lack of same - could have on The Hobbit:
One way or another The Hobbit will get made. Would it be better for Peter Jackson’s team, for the film, and for us if it stayed with New Line or if it was made directly under the aegis of Warner Bros.? Fans may be embittered enough about the lawsuit against New Line that delayed the project so long that they would prefer to see Warner Bros. take it over. My own hunch is that Peter as producer and whoever ends up directing the film would still be better off under New Line, enjoying a greater degree of creative control. If executives higher up in the international conglomerate that is Time Warner get involved, artistic freedom might well suffer.
One name that doesn’t get mentioned a lot in all the talk about The Hobbit is Mark Ordesky. Ordesky was New Line’s producer for Rings. He was the one who spent a lot of time in New Zealand and acted as a go-between between the filmmaking team and the studio. He’s widely viewed at the one who smoothed feathers when conflicts arose and helped that team make the film they wanted to make. It would be ideal if Ordesky could play that same role, requiring such a delicate touch, again with The Hobbit. Just guessing, but I think he might be able to do so more easily if New Line is the production company. And even the powers that be at Time Warner must know as well as anyone that the rather crazy way in which Rings got made resulted in a hugely profitable franchise. Why tamper with success?
One way or another The Hobbit will get made. Would it be better for Peter Jackson’s team, for the film, and for us if it stayed with New Line or if it was made directly under the aegis of Warner Bros.? Fans may be embittered enough about the lawsuit against New Line that delayed the project so long that they would prefer to see Warner Bros. take it over. My own hunch is that Peter as producer and whoever ends up directing the film would still be better off under New Line, enjoying a greater degree of creative control. If executives higher up in the international conglomerate that is Time Warner get involved, artistic freedom might well suffer.
One name that doesn’t get mentioned a lot in all the talk about The Hobbit is Mark Ordesky. Ordesky was New Line’s producer for Rings. He was the one who spent a lot of time in New Zealand and acted as a go-between between the filmmaking team and the studio. He’s widely viewed at the one who smoothed feathers when conflicts arose and helped that team make the film they wanted to make. It would be ideal if Ordesky could play that same role, requiring such a delicate touch, again with The Hobbit. Just guessing, but I think he might be able to do so more easily if New Line is the production company. And even the powers that be at Time Warner must know as well as anyone that the rather crazy way in which Rings got made resulted in a hugely profitable franchise. Why tamper with success?
