Ohh man! I just checked and when the rumor came up last Nov. I didn’t post it on the blog thinking that it was simply that a rumor…now it might actually be true…
…and The Vault Keeper just pooed in his pants…
from Darkhorizons.com:
Sam Raimi Considering “Hobbit”?
Posted: Monday January 29th 2007 12:14am
Source: Assorted Sources
Author: Garth FranklinWith Peter Jackson and New Line having officially separated over the issue of an adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, the studio is now in a rush to find a replacement before their rights deadline expires.
Back in November it was rumoured by the guys at The One Ring that “Spider-Man” helmer Sam Raimi has been contacted about potentially helming.
The story wasn’t confirmed at the time and many chalked it up to simply speculation. That may not be the case anymore according to today’s The Los Angeles Times.
The publication reports that not only has Raimi been “telling associates, as well as his corporate masters at Sony, that he is thinking of directing ‘The Hobbit’,” but at least two top-level insiders “have heard the words out of the director’s mouth.”
With “Spider-Man 3” wrapping up and Raimi wanting to take a break from that franchise, the possibility is intriguing.
When I first heard it in November, I didn’t like the idea, not at all. I didn’t see Sam Rami fitting into that story. But he has done other movies than The Evil Dead series (Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness) and the three Spiderman movies (which now to current audiences is what he’s known for). But he has done a nice bunch of movies that shows that he can handle dramatic films like: The Gift (I’m a huge fan of this movie, I highly recommend it!) For Love of the Game, A Simple Plan, The Quick and The Dead, and Darkman. I mean, not all of them are as high quality as Spiderman or even Lord of the Ring. But check out Peter Jackson’s resume before LOTR and King Kong, how many of these movies can you say you actually saw: The Valley, Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles, Braindead, Heavenly Creatures (I actually have heard of this one–but never saw it), Forgotten Silver and The Frighteners (which I saw! but it was eleven years ago, and I don’t remember liking it very much).
So as you can see, its not what you made prior to coming into the Lord of the Ring world, but how you use your time in making it real. I feel that if anyone else would try to make a movie they would fail. But it seems like Sam Rami, if he’s really given a shot, would do exactly what he did to Spiderman and he would work hard on making it the best possible film.
I also do not feel that Sam Rami is the Brett Ratner to Bryan Singer of this franchise. If you don’t understand what I mean simply watch X2 and then X3. Bryan Singer made a great movie with X2, left to make Superman Returns (which by the way Brett Ratner was in production at the time) and Fox snatched up Ratner to make X3. X3 just seems like a hack did the work. I’m not saying that Superman Returns was amazing, but it was a much better movie than I believe Ratner would have done. I think Rami will bring to The Hobbit more than I feel any other direct (save Peter Jackson himself) would be able to bring.
–Socram
Wait, someone else did X3? I did not know that.
I’m confident that Sam Raimi could make the film well, if he were given the chance. But I’d still like to see Peter Jackson do it because:
a. He deserves the money from the previous LOTR films, and will likely get it in court anyway. Why not pay him now, save court/attorney fees, and be able to bring him on board for The Hobbit?
b. He’s got a unique vision of the LOTR that would be difficult for anyone to copy. And I have a feeling that if they bring another director on, a good one (like Sam Raimi), the new director will feel they must make changes to have things line up with their vision. This will leave us with The Hobbit not fitting in well with Jackson’s LOTR movies.
I think things would be different if Sam Raimi had already directed the LOTR movies.
SpiderGolum?
Now THAT is creepy. Imagine if Gollum could web sling, you think he wouldn’t have died?
there wouldn’t have been a lord of the ring trilogy. he would still have it.