The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Hobbit: Tolkien Trust, New Line & HarperCollins Settle LOTR Lawsuit

The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Hobbit:
Tolkien Trust, New Line & HarperCollins Settle LOTR Lawsuit

Oden
Rivendell

Sep 8 2009, 6:58pm

Views: 4166

Tolkien Trust, New Line & HarperCollins Settle LOTR Lawsuit

New and final news?!!!

http://www.comingsoon.net/...vienews.php?id=58922

Commenting on the settlement, Christopher Tolkien said: "The Trustees regret that legal action was necessary, but are glad that this dispute has been settled on satisfactory terms that will allow the Tolkien Trust properly to pursue its charitable objectives. The Trustees acknowledge that New Line may now proceed with its proposed films of "The Hobbit"

Hopefully!

(This post was edited by Oden on Sep 8 2009, 7:01pm)

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

Sep 8 2009, 7:27pm

Views: 2603

Finally!

Hopefully now it's full speed ahead with no more obstacles in the way! *touch wood*

Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."

"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded b*****d with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.

Ataahua's stories

Kangi Ska
Half-elven

Sep 8 2009, 7:40pm

Views: 2494

And Now

I expect we will see the film green-lighted by the studio.

Kangi Ska

(This post was edited by Kangi Ska on Sep 8 2009, 7:41pm)

Ainu Laire
Tol Eressea

Sep 8 2009, 7:43pm

Views: 2501

Glad to see this over and done with!

No more questionable accounting acts anymore, please Hollywood Crazy

*waits patiently for official green light*

My LiveJournal ~ My artwork and photography ~ My LOTR fan fiction

NARF since age 8, when I refused to read the Hobbit because the cover looked boring and icky.

mwirkk
Rohan

Sep 8 2009, 8:10pm

Views: 2695

A rather odd quote from Warner Bros.

"Warner Bros.’ President & Chief Operating Officer Alan Horn said: “We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels to the success of our films..."

We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels? As if there would have even been any movies at all without them?

It sounds like a rather queer thing to say. Perhaps it was out of a larger statement or context.

The Black Knight Always Triumphs!!

-mwirkk :)

Mithrandír
Lorien

Sep 8 2009, 9:25pm

Views: 2488

than all we have to do is enjoy this exciting time on TORn!

Social Science's biggest problem, is social science.

"The ring has awoken. It's heard its masters call"

Probably one of the best performances in film history.

Eledhwen
Forum Admin / Moderator

Sep 8 2009, 9:54pm

Views: 2430

Woohoo!

That is very good news.

Buchanicus
Lorien

Sep 8 2009, 10:06pm

Views: 2400

Excellent.

I agree that now that this is officially settled, the "Greenlight" on the project is soon to come...or at least "officially" announced!

TORn member formally known as ryan1976.

Kimi
Forum Admin / Moderator

Sep 9 2009, 12:06am

Views: 2404

Yes! Hurrah! /

My writing (including The Passing of Mistress Rose)

Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?

- A Room With a View

Silverlode
Forum Admin / Moderator

Sep 9 2009, 12:18am

Views: 2460

It does come across as

self-absorbed and a bit foolish, doesn't it? "Thanks for helping us out with a few ideas for our movies".

I'd like to think that that is a misunderstanding of their intent, but if certain studio suits do indeed view their source material in that way it would explain some of the truly awful "adaptations" of excellent books that have been inflicted on the viewing public over the years. Tongue

Anyway, it's nice to know that the case is settled. Here's hoping that lessons have been learned and this process won't need to be repeated in 5 years for the Hobbit movies!

Silverlode

"Of all faces those of our familiares are the ones both most difficult to play fantastic tricks with, and most difficult really to see with fresh attention. They have become like the things which once attracted us by their glitter, or their colour, or their shape, and we laid hands on them, and then locked them in our hoard, acquired them, and acquiring ceased to look at them.
Creative fantasy, because it is mainly trying to do something else [make something new], may open your hoard and let all the locked things fly away like cage-birds. The gems all turn into flowers or flames, and you will be warned that all you had (or knew) was dangerous and potent, not really effectively chained, free and wild; no more yours than they were you." -On Fairy Stories

MrCere
Sr. Staff

Sep 9 2009, 1:18am

Views: 2453

You didn't believe VTF last week? {NT}

I have no choice but to believe in free will.

The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie

My blog

(This post was edited by MrCere on Sep 9 2009, 1:19am)

Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator

Sep 9 2009, 1:34am

Views: 2763

It wasn't confirmed last week.

VtF's post gave great hope, but I don't believe court procedings are over until the money is finally in the bank.

Sunflower
Valinor

Sep 9 2009, 4:22am

Views: 2458

Comes across as more than a bit miffed.

To me it means one of two things, or both:

1)Studios do indeed IMO look at source material that way, and the participation of the author as traditionally a nuisance. The participation of Jo Rowling in the intialstages of planning the HP films was unusual (the studio caving in to her demands that the "Britishness" of the books be preserved, etc.) It's common knowledge that the lowly writer is at the bottom, or near the very bottom, of the Hollywood food chain. This type of arrogance is typical of film studios.
On the other hand, I have a hard time believing that that is really the way they feel about Tolkien the author (as opposed to his descendants.) They saw what the LOTR films accomplished, and I'm sure by now the suits have had time to watch the EE Appendices and appreciate Jackson's serious attention paid to the novel (whatever the result Sly

). I can only hope that in this case things may be different and they'll have an attitude of "if it ain't broke, don't break it."
Which leads me to think that that statement might be more indicative of Point 2--

2) Just *how* much money did Warner's have to cough up? I wish to God Voronwe had been able to get his crebain into the room where this missive was drafted and the terms agreed upon! As it is, it's bound to be a HUGE amount to make the TE happy! And since New Line is now part of Warner's, given the state of New Line's shaky finances, there's no way they could have coughed up all that money. Likely most it had to be Warner's money--ironically, if NL had still been independant, then WB would not have to be suffering, by having to fork over an amount of money that I'd guess is going to make signifigant inroads into their 2009 profits.
In the "heat of the moment", as it were, this statement to me smacks less of casual dismissal of Tolkien's books, and more of a rueful "Thanks but no freaking thanks!" A kind of tee'd off (and seething at not being able to show it in public)reply at the high price they're going to have to pay to launch this franchise. ("Mutually productive and beneficial"--ha, ha ha.Sounds like the loser in a Presidential election congradualting the winner. . Right. Laugh

)
I don't think they ever thought it would ber this expensive! And if it weren;t for the guarunteed profits AND potential "serious" OScar success (as opposed to simply being "token Nominee Number 10" this might have LOTR's chance), they might have well decided it was more trouble than it was worth, and refused to go along; My guess is that knowing all this, they WILL Indeed swallow their pride, and fork it over.
This statement was more along the lines of a snarky reply to the TE, born out of resentment at the high cost of the settlement. Not to worry folks--but I wish we learn the green-lighting date, and the settlement terms!

(This post was edited by Sunflower on Sep 9 2009, 4:29am)

Sunflower
Valinor

Sep 9 2009, 4:52am

Views: 2375

More from Nikki Finke

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com

Interesting Comments section to the story. The posters sound like us! Well worth reading the comments so far!
(Note: LANGUAGE warning with the comments.) My favorite one so far is: "So does Bob Shaye still have the RIng?" Tongue

Hm...after re-reading this: change that to VERY freaking miffed. Laugh

I'll bet they didn't expect the TE to not back down, indeed, to only amp up the pressure. By now, when lawsuits of this sort go on for years, as one of the Commenters says, the studio deploys armies of lawyers to batter them down over time and wear down their resistance. But unlike just about everyone else, the TE didn't buy it, anymore than Jackson did. I'll bet PJ is going to be very happy at hearing this news, and not just so his project can finally go forward!

Peredhil lover
Valinor

Sep 9 2009, 5:27am

Views: 2341

*grin*

I see most of the commenters were picking on the one line I was most irritated with, too - about the contributions of the TE. Contributions, indeed! *snort* As if the studios could have come up with anything even remotely similar on their own! Without Tolkien, they would have had *nothing*!

Otherwise, I'm just happy that settlement is now final. Now the TE gets their due, and we can concentrate on the Hobbit!

I do not suffer from LotR obsession - I enjoy every minute of it.

TORn Link Collection

(This post was edited by Peredhil lover on Sep 9 2009, 5:35am)

stormcrow20
Gondor

Sep 9 2009, 5:48am

Views: 2370

Fantastic News!

Yeah! After more than a year and a half of worries, this is such a relief! Now I'm even more anxious to hear about an official "green light". Thanks Oden!

"Expect me when you see me."

(This post was edited by stormcrow20 on Sep 9 2009, 5:55am)

Sunflower
Valinor

Sep 9 2009, 7:10am

Views: 2364

I wonder...

I've been perusing the AICN story on this (now there's an interesting Talkback:), and can the amount of money Harry is throwing around possibly be true? Are they REALLY going with the actual 7.5% ($220+ million dollars?!?! Shocked

)
I still find that hard to believe...is that even possible? Would a film studio really consent to hand over that much?!? If so, this has to be unprecidented...

I don't know what to feel, about the long-term...if this is even halfway true, it shows just how much Warner's wants and values TH as a franchise Shocked

. I guess it would be because the December 2011 release date for TH 1 HAS to be set in stone because, unlike Harry Potter, say, they can't fiddle around with the proposed release date; you couldn't move TH from December to say July, like HP6, because as I said before, unlike HP, a Tolkien adaptation has serious Best Picture potential (esp if directed by someone whose film was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar, and boasts 2 Oscar winners already on his staff. (newly confirmed DoP Guillermo Navarro and Montise Ribe and crew at DDT.). They are looking down the line at doing their best to repeat ALL of LOTR's success. It's that rarest of gems: commercial megastatus and "literiary prestiege."
So they'll pay the TE to go away, so the production can roll smoothly along and make that all-important December/Oscar month release date.

That said, as the reality of this sinks in--how much money they have to pay, if this figure is true--or even halfway true. They might be SO resentful, that they may try to take it out on Guillermo and Peter, and they may attempt to scrutinize the production of TH with laser eyes and try to streamline it and make it as "safe" as possible, to guaruntee the profits. Which they don't need to do! I hope this isn't the menality they take...

But for now, very happy. Can't wait to hear from Voronwe--and hopefully Kristin Thompson! She'll have to devote a whole chapter to the litigation over the yrs:)

(This post was edited by Sunflower on Sep 9 2009, 7:16am)

Elizabeth
Half-elven

Sep 9 2009, 7:12am

Views: 2385

"Contributions"

I understand everyone being miffed at this phrase, but on sober reflection, I think we should acknowledge that there were many, many dollars and manhours spent in producing these films. To be sure, the novels were the heart and soul (as well as the narrative) of the work, but the massive undertaking that produced these films shouldn't be devalued either. Just replay some of the RotK EE appendices, and be remnded of how many people were putting in 120 hour weeks there toward the end!

The Rohirrim, by Peter Xavier Price

Elizabeth is the TORnsib formerly known as 'erather'

Sunflower
Valinor

Sep 9 2009, 7:20am

Views: 2344

Of course...

but the way the studio is phrasing it, I doubt Warner's was talking about the thousands of dedicated NZ artists, stuntpeople and craftsmen at the ground level. How mch did they get paid?
It's all about glorifying the Studio staff, the suits, of course... the Gods who wave their hands and command the lowly underlings.

And now, I'm off to bed, off to bed...it's been too long a day (and night.)

Namarie!

(This post was edited by Sunflower on Sep 9 2009, 7:21am)

Earl
Forum Admin / Moderator

Sep 9 2009, 7:47am

Views: 2345

"We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels to the success of our films..."

I too initially thought this statement was a little weird, but on second thought, I suppose what Alan Horn is trying to say is that WB highly values Tolkien's works and considers the possession of his literary property a contributing factor to the sucess of the studio's slate of film franchises as a whole.

That puts Alan Horn's statement in quite a positive light, and though one might be inclined to lean towards the statement's more negative connotations if viewed in a different context, I for one will give Alan Horn the benefit of the doubt Smile

"Crows and Gibbets! What is the House of Eorl but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and their brats roll around on the floor with their dogs! You are but a lesser son of greater sires."

Sunflower
Valinor

Sep 9 2009, 8:53am

Views: 2319

Hm...

Why do I get this picture of Christopher Tolkien with this wicked grin on his face, as he consults his father's HoME drafts, (once again).
"I wonder...how do you say "Mwhahahaha!! PAY UP, SUCKAS!!!" in Quenya?" Tongue

I am so sorry...I could not resist. Angelic

(This post was edited by Sunflower on Sep 9 2009, 8:54am)

sharku
Rivendell

Sep 9 2009, 9:10am

Views: 2417

The real reason the Estate won

These cases always get settled out of court because no studio EVER wants the lawyers and judges to go picking through their dodgy accounting practices.

For studios, there is FAR more at stake than one film (or even three films) - it's the whole edifice and way they do business. It would be an industry-wide real Pandora's box to open the books.

This is why PJ won. This is why the Estate won.

dernwyn
Forum Admin / Moderator

Sep 9 2009, 10:25am

Views: 2313

Great news indeed!

It was even on the front page of our local newspaper's arts and entertainment section this morning - with the emphasis on the settlement giving the blessing for The Hobbit to get made.

I get the feeling there are a lot more folks out there than just us Tolkien fans, who are anxious about those two movies! Cool

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I desired dragons with a profound desire"

"It struck me last night that you might write a fearfully good romantic drama, with as much of the 'supernatural' as you cared to introduce. Have you ever thought of it?"
-Geoffrey B. Smith, letter to JRR Tolkien, 1915

BlueMan
Rivendell

Sep 9 2009, 2:12pm

Views: 2291

Maybe now that this obstacle is removed ...

... the films can be greenlit, cast and the news can flow?? Please!? :D

Raptos a diis homines dici ...

Elven
Valinor

Sep 9 2009, 2:17pm

Views: 2354

We are all winners in this situation ...

Regardless of what could be seen as a loss of money to NL/Warners - I think on the whole, they can also count themselves as winners, as can the TE and everyone else (fans included) - past, present, and up and coming who want to see The Hobbit made.
Congratulations TE! There's something wonderfully uncanny and reflective about the whole thing - you took on the big guys at the eleventh hour and won - not that your just the 'little people', but maybe its a mindset, sheer determination, sheer arogance, or that polite British Bulldog style ... but you did what was necessary, at a time when it could have not only jeopodized the movies, thousands of jobs and millions of dollars to charity and to the trust ... it was a huge risk, and I see something quite heroic in doing what you did, even if Ive had to hold my breath for months.
Im so relieved it got this far and settlement was made, and the outcome is that the future movies will be made.

But, I still wonder if there's a new accounting system being put into place for The Hobbit/s. Wink

and I wonder if lessons have been learnt.
I hope so. Less grief - More Movies. Yay!

Cheers
Elven x

Swishtail.

Tolkien was a Capricorn!!
Russell Crowe for Beorn!!
Avatar: Liberace - The other Lord of the Rings.

Quote of The Week: The thing is I always write in the morning, and I know that if I go to the Net I won’t write ... you can start in the most scholarly website and end up at Paris Hilton dot com .. GdT

Patty
Immortal

Sep 9 2009, 3:42pm

Views: 873

You're right, Elizabeth, and I thank you...

for putting this in another context, cause at first I couldn't believe the cheek of that statement. It's good that cooler heads prevail here.

Permanent address: Into the West

(This post was edited by Patty on Sep 9 2009, 3:43pm)

Voronwë_the_Faithful
Valinor

Sep 9 2009, 3:57pm

Views: 921

I'm sure that part of the settlement is a process to guarantee that the same thing won't happen again

In Reply To

But, I still wonder if there's a new accounting system being put into place for The Hobbit/s. Wink

and I wonder if lessons have been learnt.
I hope so. Less grief - More Movies. Yay!

While I doubt we will ever see the terms of the settlement, I am quite sure that part of it includes a process to make sure that the payments due on The Hobbit films are made. Otherwise, I seriously doubt they would have entered into the settlement. Hi Elven! Smile

'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

www.arda-reconstructed.com

TolkienJackson
Bree

Sep 9 2009, 4:13pm

Views: 857

I agree with your observations, Elizabeth.

I couldn't see what was wrong with such a statement in the first place. Crazy

King Kong and Tolkien - My, PJ has good taste!

Kristin Thompson
Rohan

Sep 9 2009, 4:19pm

Views: 906

Yes, that's a lot of money!

Hi, Sunflower, thanks for thinking of me in this context! The figure of $220 million isn't Harry Knowles's. He's using the latest number that the Tolkien Trust made public. They had originally said that they were suing for a minimum of $150 mil. Later they got to look at New Line's accounting on LOTR and upped the amount they claimed to be owed. Perhaps if the case had gone to trial next month, the figure would have gone even higher.

Whether Warner Bros./New Line will actually hand over that amount is a secret as of now. I'm sure the parties involved are all bound to keep the result confidential, but I suspect that rumors will start to surface. Whether we can trust those rumors may never become clear. But it's obviously a LOT of money. Settlements tend to be in the tens of millions, not the hundreds of millions. Warner Bros. is lucky that it's having a really spectacular year at the box office. I'm sure the settlement will hurt, but they can handle it. (I blogged about WB's good fortune recently.)

If I do get to write my book on the Hobbit films (still waiting to hear from WB on that), I doubt I'll spend much time on all the litigation. For a start, I wouldn't get any access to the secret stuff, and the rest of it has been wonderfully documented on these very boards and in the files of the LA court system. Plus I'm just not expert enough to deal with the complexities of the law. What I really hope to do is follow the production and see how the hundreds of team members manage to coordinate their work on a project this huge. Once I find out anything, I'll let you know!

Oden
Rivendell

Sep 9 2009, 6:05pm

Views: 872

Glad to post

My pleasure, although it was only by chance that I ran across the announcement before anyone else posted it. I think it is safe to say that MANY on this board were watching and hoping for such an announcement.

Here's to many more announcements to come regarding all things Hobbit related!

GaladrielTX
Tol Eressea

Sep 9 2009, 6:17pm

Views: 885

That interpretation sounds a little over-emotional.

It’s business! :D

A) What other value can Tolkien’s work have to a film studio other than as material for a film? The studio is in the business of making movies. They don’t read the books with the aim of enlightenment, entertaining themselves, or any other non-material enrichment.

B) This transaction doesn’t hurt Warner’s profit at all, I imagine. During the due diligence process in which Warner Bros. considered whether or not to buy New Line, Warner Bros. absolutely knew about this lawsuit. New Line would have to divulge it to them. Furthermore, it’s out on the public record. Warner Bros. also knew they would have to settle almost right away (not years from now), in order to produce The Hobbit. There’s no doubt Warner Bros. took all this into account when making their offer to New Line. They would have looked at the likelihood of the TE’s success in winning the lawsuit and estimated the settlement amount and adjusted their offer price for New Line accordingly. I’m sure they recognized the potential liability when booking the purchase of the company. As a result, the payment will not affect their profits at all. They’ll simply charge the payment to the liability. Of course they would have liked to have won the lawsuit or settled for less so they could then reclass the liability as income. Still, the only possible outcomes for Warner Bros. were either no effect to their profit if they lost or a gain if they won the trial or did better than they expected with the settlement.

In the final analysis, this is just business. The people who incurred the expense were New Line’s owners when they sold the business months ago (or possibly years ago if they recognized the liability then). To characterize the Warner Bros. COO’s statement as a matter of pride, “snarky”, “resentful”, or “tee’d off” or to say the studio wants to take revenge on The Hobbit production blows the whole thing out of proportion.

Okay, Guillermo, let’s get crackin’ on this movie!

~~~~~~~~

The TORNsib formerly known as Galadriel.

(This post was edited by GaladrielTX on Sep 9 2009, 6:20pm)

SirDennisC
Half-elven

Sep 9 2009, 8:46pm

Views: 840

This

thread has generated a fair bit excitement. But to be fair, VtF posted the news here, about 17 minutes before you Blush

mwirkk
Rohan

Sep 9 2009, 10:13pm

Views: 848

Not my intent

I didn't mean to sound like I was minimalizing the contributions of those who worked hard on the movies' productions. I just thought the quote was rather odd. It could have been said better. I generally discount partial quotes like this because they often do not represent the intended message of their source so much as that of the reporter.

The Black Knight Always Triumphs!!

-mwirkk :)

(This post was edited by mwirkk on Sep 9 2009, 10:15pm)

Oden
Rivendell

Sep 9 2009, 11:28pm

Views: 851

Right you are...

Magpie and VtF both posted comments regarding the official settlement. I must have missed them at the bottom of that older post. In my excitement upon seeing news of a settlement and after a quick scan of new topics and not seeing any "new" posting regarding the news, I posted this one. Next time I will take Treebeard's advice and not be too hasty.

Glad this settlement is official and I hope that more announcements will soon be posted!

Sunflower
Valinor

Sep 10 2009, 12:08am

Views: 895

"It's business, not personal"

As Kristin said, sttlements tend to come in the tens of millions, not the hundreds. This is a historical lawsuit. And as far as having the rights to TH..well, I stand by my "Oscar: comments. TH is more of a fairy tale then LOTR (talking animals, we presume, and a dragon) so it may not have the same chance. But you don't know. Studios fight hard every year and jostle for position whne it comes to getting nominated and getting a BP, don;t think there isn't a lot of ego, and yes, emotion, involved. It's always been that way. But this year the questions are stillflying as to why the Academy went to 10 Best Pic nominees. Some speculate that the studios are in direr financial shape then they are willing to let on, due to the slump in DVED sales, which increasingly take up a bigger shre of the profits pie for studios. So some are saying that the Studios are going to try to get their blockbusters in there, so they can put that little Golden Guy at the lower corner of the DVD box, so people may buy it. (this isn't me conspiracy theorying; I've actually read this speculation on a few prominent movie sites.)
So on the surface, yes, it's just "business"; but I imagine there have been a lot of wrods traded betwen Mr. Bewkes and his minions. My post might be "emotional," but IMO you can't be suite sure that those kind of sentiments don't cross the minds of the suits in private. But again, this is just me fanticizing..I've had an overripe imagination the past few days Sly

(This post was edited by Sunflower on Sep 10 2009, 12:17am)

Sunflower
Valinor

Sep 10 2009, 12:13am

Views: 846

Thanks!

Well, I was half-serious about "devoting a whole chapter to the litigation" comment--it seems like there's enough material to fill a chapter, should someone ever be able to, and just with the "public" history we all know of the past 4 yrs or so?!
But no, I don't obviously expect you or Voronwe to have any info we don't--and if you did, obviously it could never come out into the light of day. I agree--we'll never really know how much the TE is getting, but you're right, there will be LOTS of stories and rumors! A figure may eventually become a staple on the rumor circuit and "lengend will become myth" so to speak Smile

Hopefully you get your own "green-light" for your own sequel. *Crosses fingers*!

SirDennisC
Half-elven

Sep 10 2009, 1:28am

Views: 941

I hesitated

before posting the minor correction in your thread.

In the end I had faith -- clearly with great reason -- that your capacity for graciousness would win the day.

Well done friend.

Voronwë_the_Faithful
Valinor

Sep 10 2009, 5:24am

Views: 789

It's good that the official announcement of the finalization of the settlement got it's own thread

So I was perfectly happy to see this thread posted! Smile

'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

www.arda-reconstructed.com

Bexlin
Rivendell

Sep 10 2009, 12:25pm

Views: 785

Yessss...

Cast news soon - waiting on tenterhooks!!

Compa_Mighty
Tol Eressea

Sep 10 2009, 1:17pm

Views: 763

Great!

As you say, it's great to see it's now official. Even though we knew Voronwë was right, nothing it's final until... well, until it's final.

Christopher's statement was quite reassuring.

It's all clear now... let the announcement avalanche begin!

Here's to Del Toro becoming the Irvin Kershner of Middle Earth!

Essay winner of the Show us your Hobbit Pride Giveway!

Elven
Valinor

Sep 12 2009, 10:37am

Views: 756

I think I was refering back to this ...

which was the in the initial doc ...

5. In the alternative, to the extent that the Court were to adopt any meaning of the 1969 Agreements contrary to the contentions of plaintiffs, that the 1969 Agreements be reformed to provide the meaning represented by New Lines predecessor-in-interest and understood by plaintiffs and their predecessors-in-interest and/or the intent of the parties to the 1969 Agreement;
6. For an accounting between defendants and plaintiffs;
7. For payments over to plaintiffs of the amount due from defendants as a result of the accounting;
8. For imposition of a constructive trust over all monies due and owing to plaintiffs, and any benefits and income derived therefrom by New Line;

Not that all this is relevant to the Hobbit/s - this is relevant to the LOTR ...

But Im interested in how an agreement was come to in terms of money for the out of court settlement - (did the meaning of the agreements favour TE, were they ammended?) or has NL/Warner offered a settlement sum without any change to the Agreements?

Would the constructive trust then be put in place for the LOTR monies - and the Hobbit?

Thanks VtF!
Cheers
Elven x

hamlet
Rivendell

Sep 15 2009, 4:37pm

Views: 798

As in --

The classic example of this is on the ROTK EE DVD (I think) where Peter Jackson appears in one of the "Easter Egg" features with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn portraying a couple of vapid studio suits. They ask him about making a LOTR part IV, and PJ responds that Tolkien only wrote three books. They ask if Tolkien might consider writing another, and PJ says, "I'm afraid Professor Tolkien is dead." They respond, "Well, hey, I'd be dead too after making three movies in a row like that." PJ says, "No, I mean he passed away." "Oh. . . should we send some flowers or a fruit basket or something?"
I have a feeling that this scenario might not be too far removed from the truth of Hollywood.

mae govannen
Tol Eressea

Oct 16 2009, 6:37am

Views: 731

Oh! Never knew about that Easter Egg!... Thank you!!! :-D //

'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)