Lord Of The Rings Is Official
Editor's Note: Despite its length, we've included the entire text of the press release below due to the overwhelming demand by our reader for more information regarding The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
ew Line Cinema has issued a press release that officially announces the start of Peter Jackson's new Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
The text of the release, included below, also contains cast and crew information, as well as some comments on the project by various studio executives:
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy begins principal
photography in Wellington, New Zealand, on Oct. 11, 1999,
under the direction of Peter Jackson, it was jointly announced
today by Robert Shaye, chairman and chief executive officer of
New Line Cinema; Michael Lynne, president and chief operating
officer of New Line Cinema; Michael De Luca, president and chief
operating officer of New Line Productions; Mark Ordesky, president
of Fine Line Features; and Jackson, who is also a writer and
producer of the production.
Unprecedented in scope, the
production breaks new ground in movie-making by filming the three
titles in this saga--The Fellowship of the Ring, The
Two Towers and The Return of the King--not consecutively
but concurrently, as though they were all one giant motion picture
production.
Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's
beloved series of fantasy novels, The Lord of the Rings
franchise stars Sean Astin, Sean Bean,
Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Sir Ian
Holm, Christopher Lee, Sir Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, John
Rhys-Davies, Stuart Townsend, Liv Tyler and Elijah Wood, whose
casting was previously announced.
The screenplay is written
by Jackson (The Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures);
his longtime production partner, Fran Walsh (The Frighteners,
Heavenly Creatures); Philippa Boyens; and Stephen Sinclair
(Braindead, Meet the Feebles). The producers are
Barrie M. Osborne (The Matrix, Face/Off) and Tim
Sanders (Aberration, The Frighteners) and Jackson,
and the executive producers are Saul Zaentz (The English Patient,
Amadeus), and Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein (co-chairmen
of Miramax). Walsh and Rich Porras (Contact) are associate
producing under Jackson's WingNut Films banner.
Other members of the distinguished
behind-the-camera crew include director of photography Andrew
Lesnie (Babe, Babe: Pig in the City), production
designer Grant Major (The Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures),
costume designer Ngila Dickson (Xena, Warrior Princess;
Hercules; Heavenly Creatures), and makeup and hair
designer Peter Owen (Oscar and Lucinda, Philadelphia).
WETA Workshop is executing
armor, miniatures, creatures and special effects make-up under
the direction of supervisor Richard Taylor. WETA Digital is executing
the special visual effects under the direction of visual effects
supervisor Mark Stetson (The Fifth Element and upcoming
Super Nova). Visual effects producer for WETA is Charlie
McClellan (The Frighteners, Contact). The conceptual
artists are Alan Lee and John Howe, renowned for their illustrations
of Tolkien's work. The official The Lord of the Rings
website is www.lordoftherings.net.
Coinciding with the start
of principal photography, Houghton Mifflin is publishing a one-time-only
millennium edition of The Lord of the Rings. For the first
time, the Rings saga is being presented in a boxed set
of seven hard-cover volumes, one for each of its six parts plus
a seventh volume containing the appendices. One of the most beloved
stories of the 20th century, The Lord of the Rings has
sold more than 50 million copies worldwide in 25 different languages.
Michael De Luca, president
and chief operating officer of New Line Productions, said: "The
Lord of the Rings is among the greatest adventures ever written,
and making this film is proving to be a wonderful adventure in
its own right. Like Frodo, the hero of this saga, we're on a
film 'quest,' and I can't think of anyone better to lead us than
Peter Jackson."
Mark Ordesky, president of
Fine Line Features, said: "Filming three features simultaneously
is a pretty daring proposition, but we have a wonderful team
of filmmakers and actors who are more than up to the job and
who are going to make this saga a deeply felt experience for
moviegoers everywhere."
Jackson said: "My team
and I have poured our hearts into this project for the past three
years, so it's a great thrill to begin actual photography. Filming
three films at once has never been done before, in addition to
which the project features state-of-the-art special effects,
so it was essential to plan everything down to the last detail.
We owe Professor Tolkien and his legion of fans worldwide our
very best efforts to make these films with the integrity they
deserve."
As previously announced, Elijah
Wood (Deep Impact, The War) stars as Frodo, a young
hobbit who, by inheriting a seemingly innocent magic ring, finds
himself launched on a perilous quest to save all of Middle Earth
from encroaching evil.
Other members of the cast
include Sean Astin as Sam Gamgee, Frodo's most faithful friend.
Astin gained early attention for his starring role in The
Goonies and has since appeared in numerous films and TV productions,
including Bulworth, Courage Under Fire, Rudy
and Memphis Belle. He was nominated for an Oscar
for the short film Kangaroo Court, which he directed and
produced.
Sean Bean stars as Boromir,
a human and the hot-blooded elder son of the ruler of the kingdom
of Gondor. The rugged English actor has appeared in Ronin,
GoldenEye, Patriot Games and The Field,
among other films, and starred in the title role of Sharpe's
Waterloo, Sharpe's Justice and the many other installments
in the Sharpe series based on Bernard Cornwell's novels.
Cate Blanchett stars as the
elf Galadriel, the wise visionary queen of Lorien. For her performance
in the title role of Elizabeth last year, the Australian
actress won the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards as well as an Oscar
nomination. She has also been lauded for her performances in
such films as An Ideal Husband, Thank God He Met Lizzie,
and Oscar and Lucinda.
Orlando Bloom stars as Legolas,
a valiant elf who joins Frodo on his quest. Bloom has just graduated
from Guildhall and has appeared in the television production
Midsomer Murders.
Billy Boyd stars as Pippin,
a young hobbit and close friend of Frodo who accompanies him
on his mission to destroy the magic ring. He has appeared in
the TV miniseries Coming Soon and the feature Urban
Ghost Story.
Brad Dourif stars as Wormtongue,
the manipulative adviser to King Theodon and a pawn of the evil
wizard Saruman. Since making his film debut in One Flew Over
the Cuckoo's Nest, for which he earned an Academy Award
nomination, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award, Dourif has
appeared in over 40 films. Among these are Ragtime, Wise
Blood, Blue Velvet, Alien Resurrection and
all four of the Chucky movies, in which he provided the
voice of Chucky.
Sir Ian Holm stars as the
hobbit Bilbo, Frodo's cousin and the original bearer of the magic
ring. One of Britain's most distinguished actors, Sir Ian received
BAFTA Awards for Chariots of Fire and The Bofors Gun.
His many other credits include The Match, eXistenZ,
King Lear, The Sweet Hereafter, The Madness
of King George, Hamlet, Brazil, Greystoke
and Alien. He also earned a Tony Award for his performance
in Moonlight, and in 1989 he was awarded the CBE (Commander
of the British Empire).
Christopher Lee stars as Saruman,
the chief of all wizards who hopes to snare the magic ring for
himself. During a career spanning five decades, Lee has appeared
in dozens of film and television productions. Recently, he starred
in the title role of Jinnah, the story of Pakistan's founder.
Other films include Tim Burton's upcoming Sleepy Hollow,
Police Academy: Mission to Moscow, The Man With the
Golden Gun, The Three Musketeers, The Wicker Man,
the classic 1959 production of The Mummy and numerous
horror films.
Sir Ian McKellen stars as
the wise wizard Gandalf, who is Frodo's mentor and protector.
Sir Ian, who was knighted for his contributions to the performing
arts, recently starred in Gods and Monsters, for which
he received many awards and an Oscar nomination. His screen
successes include Apt Pupil, Scandal, And the
Band Played On (Emmy nomination and CableACE Award), Cold
Comfort Farm, Rasputin (Golden Globe Award), Richard
III, Bent and Swept From the Sea. He has had a stellar
career on stage in England and the U.S., and received the Tony
Award for his role in Amadeus.
Dominic Monaghan stars as
Merry, a mischievous young hobbit who accompanies Frodo on his
dangerous quest. Monaghan has appeared in a number of theatrical
and television productions, including the BBC series Hetty
Wainthrop Investigates, with Patricia Routledge. He has also
appeared in the film Boomer, directed by David Drury.
John Rhys-Davies stars as
Gimli, who represents the dwarves in the Fellowship of the
Ring. One of the busiest actors, Rhys-Davis has been seen
in television productions ranging from Shogun to Sliders
and in films ranging from the three Indiana Jones films
to The Great White Hype. A few of his other credits include
the miniseries War and Remembrance, Noble House
and Reilly: Ace of Spies, and the films The Living
Daylights and Victor/Victoria.
Stuart Townsend stars as Aragorn,
a human raised by elves and the rightful king of Gondor. The
Dublin native appeared on stage before making his film debut
in Trojan Eddie, with Richard Harris and Stephen Rea.
Other film credits include Under the Skin, Shooting
Fish, Resurrection Man and Wonderland.
Liv Tyler stars as Arwen,
a young elf warrior and princess who is prepared to give up her
immortality for love of Aragorn. Tyler recently starred in Cookie's
Fortune, Plunkett & MaCleane and Onegin.
The former teenage model has also starred in Armageddon,
Inventing the Abbotts and Stealing Beauty, among
others.
Buffy, Angel, Roswell Start Strong
he WB has been dominating TV ratings in the key demographic of 18-49-year-olds thanks to strong season debuts by Roswell, Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 6.71 million people tuned in to the Oct. 6 premiere of Roswell, which attracted the second largest audience ever for a WB show (7.72 million people watched Charmed bow in 1998).
Roswell actually beat out its lead-in show, Dawson's Creek, on its way to earning a 3.0 rating in the Nielsens for adults 18-49. Meanwhile, the Oct. 5 debut of Angel and the fourth-season premiere of Buffy also scored big with adults 18-49, and they helped the WB finish No. 1 for the night with 12-17-year-olds.
Galactica Film May End Up On Imax
len Larson's big-budget Battlestar Galactica project may turn out to be an Imax film, according to the British magazine SFX.
In a recent interview with the publication, Larson said a 50-minute Imax movie was currently the most attractive option for the Galactica franchise.
"It is one among many things that we are looking at," Larson explained. He also confirmed that he is still working with Wing Commander producer Todd Moyer on the picture, and that the two would eventually like to make a Galactica feature film as well as a new TV series.
Larson added that there were so many options for Galactica that "it's like shopping in a supermarket when you're hungry."
The X-Files Will Continue On Film
lthough it's looking increasingly unlikely that The X-Files will make it to an eighth season on TV, series creator Chris Carter said the story will definitely continue on film.
Studio Briefing reports Carter told The New York Post that X-Files stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson will be returning for a second feature film.
That's good news for Files fans, because Duchovny and Carter have already announced their intention to leave the TV show after the seventh season is complete. While Anderson is under contract for an eighth year, she recently told Access Hollywood that "physically, psychologically, I don't think I could do another season."
Still, anything is possible when it comes to The X-Files, and Carter says, "I wouldn't make any assumptions about who is going to be with the show or not, or even if the show is going to be around next
year. I think there are way too many things that need to be worked out, decided, and cleared up before anyone can say clearly what is going to happen."
There's A Glitch In The Matrix
he blockbuster SF film The Matrix may be the best-selling DVD of all time, but for some DVD owners it's just another piece of shiny plastic.
It turns out that The Matrix's highly touted DVD-ROM special features cause a glitch with various Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Emerson, Zenith, GE, Toshiba and Yamaha players.
Some of these DVD players are unable to play The Matrix at all, while others can't access the special features or repeat any scenes. The DVD players themselves are at fault, not The Matrix, and the companies are reportedly working on solutions to the problems. According to Variety, similar problems have occurred with the DVD titles Blade, Ghostbusters, Lost in Space, Ronin and Enemy of the State.
In the meantime, DVD owners who are experiencing glitches with The Matrix may want to stop by the PCFriendly.com Web site, which has some advice on how to get the DVD to work properly.
Studios Have No Time For Crichton
very major film studio in Hollywood has passed on the movie rights to Michael Crichton's new time-travel novel Timeline, according to Salon.
The online publication claims that a Crichton novel is usually a sure sell in Tinseltown and that moviemaking politics are to blame for the lack of interest in this particular book.
However, studio executives who talked to Salon said they weren't interested in the story because it would cost too much to make, and because it was a boring period piece. The plot of Timeline centers around a bratty tycoon who creates a time machine and ends up getting stuck in 1357 France.
Solomon Wants To Do D&D Right
ourtney Solomon is taking his time with his $30 million adventure film Dungeons & Dragons, which is based on TSR's best-selling role-playing game of the same name.
While talking to Wired News, Solomon said he wants to make sure the picture remains true to its gaming roots, and that the special effects don't dominate the movie.
"I always hate when I go to a great action film that has a ton of action and great effects, but there's no characters for you to latch on to," he said. "That's what I loved about Star Wars. It had great characters that you could get into."
Solomon has plenty of characters in D&D, all of whom are based on the character classes and races from the D&D rule book. The main players are the thieves Norda and Ridley, who will be portrayed by Kristen Wilson and Justin Whalen, respectively. In addition to the two thieves, the adventure party will also consist of a mage, a dwarf, an elf and a ranger.
There is also a villain, of course, a bad guy named Profion who is being played by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons. Former Doctor Who star Tom Baker will make an appearance as the leader of the elves, and Richard O'Brien--the butler from The Rocky Horror Picture Show--will have a cameo role as the head of the thieves' guild.
The film also features a number of monsters and spells taken from the pages of the D&D rule book, as well as a major battle between armies of red and gold dragons. "I want to be careful with that scene, because I don't want it to look cheesy," Solomon said.
D&D is a labor of love for Solomon, who is writing, producing and directing the film based on a pitch he made to TSR eight years ago, when he was just 21 years old.
Dimension Takes Librium
lue Tulip Productions, a company owned by The Haunting director Jan De Bont and Lucas Foster, has signed a deal with Dimension Films to produce the SF thriller Librium.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the picture was written by The Thomas Crown Affair scribe Kurt Wimmer, who will also direct the project.
De Bont and Foster will produce Librium, which is expected to begin shooting in Europe in early 2000. The film centers around "the conversion of agent John Preston, who is the legal enforcer of an oppressive system in which human emotion is forbidden and suppressed by a required dose of Librium."
Fox Makes T.r.a.x. With Harlin
ox has ordered the pilot episode for film director Renny Harlin's half-hour supernatural TV series T.r.a.x., which has been described as a cross between COPS and The Blair Witch Project.
The show centers around a group of police officers who investigate supernatural goings-on, the occult and black magic.
The series is based on a CD-ROM game of the same name, where "t.r.a.x." stands for "trace,
research, analyze, exterminate." The show was created by Harlin (Deep Blue Sea) and is being produced by Pearson Television International and Muse Entertainment.
Bruckheimer Isn't Afraid Of Beware
ilm producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney are reportedly close to signing a deal for the film rights to the non-fiction paranormal book Beware the Night.
According to Cinescape, the as-yet-unwritten book will contain first-person accounts of real-life encounters with the paranormal as told by police officer Ralph Sarchie and journalist Lisa Collier Cool.
St. Martin's Press has already picked up the print rights to the book, which was sold with a 75-page proposal. The text will reportedly chronicle cases of demon possession, exorcisms and lycanthropy, all of which were supposedly witnessed by Sarchie.
Star Trek Playmates Discontinued
oy manufacturer Playmates plans to discontinue its extensive line of Star Trek products as of Dec. 31, 1999.
According to the Toymania Web site, the company has already laid off most of its staff and closed its California office.
The general releases and store exclusives previously announced by Playmates will be distributed as planned through the end of 1999, but that will mark the end of the line. The Playmates Star Trek toys were launched in the early 1990s and initially greeted with great enthusiasm by fans, but over the years the line has gradually declined in quality.
Activision Nabs X-Men, Blade Rights
ctivision Inc. has signed a three-year licensing deal with Marvel Entertainment that gives the company the right to develop and publish an unlimited number of games based on Marvel's X-Men and Blade franchises.
The sweeping agreement gives Activision the worldwide publishing rights for all gaming platforms as well as the exclusive rights to develop products based on new X-Men and Blade TV series and motion pictures.
The game company is currently at work on an X-Men title that it plans to release in 2000, which will likely coincide with the debut of Fox's X-Men feature film that is currently in production. With a sequel to the hit film Blade in the works, it seems likely that a game based on that movie won't be too far behind.
First Wave Rocks With MP3.com
he producers of the SCI FI Channel series First Wave have a made a deal with MP3.com Inc. to feature scores created by MP3.com registered artists in future episodes of the SF conspiracy drama.
As part of the pact, MP3.com artists will be able to preview new installments of First Wave over the Internet and then submit their music to the show's producers for consideration.
First Wave producer Peace Arch Productions, a subsidiary of the Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc., has agreed to use 30 compositions by MP3.com artists in upcoming episodes. First Wave distributor Pearson Television International, the SCI FI Channel and MP3.com are planning a variety of contests and promotions to publicize the opportunity to new groups and artists.
Briefly Noted
- THQ Inc. signed a five-year, worldwide licensing agreement with Renaissance Pictures for the interactive rights to the cult horror film Evil Dead.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation alum Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troi) will make a guest appearance in an upcoming episode of Earth: Final Conflict, according to Zentertainment.
- Toycom has created a Space Ghost: Coast to Coast action figure that is being offered through Previews for release in December, according to Zentertainment.
- Pi director Darren Aronofsky is in talks with Paramount and MTV films to direct a live-action feature film based on the animated series Aeon Flux, according to IGN.
