[D'rek]

QuickTidal, on 15 February 2022 - 07:38 PM, said:

Werthead, on 15 February 2022 - 07:32 PM, said:

worry, on 15 February 2022 - 07:01 AM, said:

Thermonuclear-level lawsuit alert. This animated movie exists solely because it's a rights-holding measure. Warner Brothers needed to get a new Middle-earth movie in production by the end of 2021 to hold onto the movie rights (originally licensed from the Saul Zaentz Company in 1997 to make the OG Jackson trilogy and extended to make the Hobbit trilogy) so WB put this animated movie intro production. The Saul Zaentz Company did not believe that an animated film fulfilled the criteria so they apparently proclaimed a reversal of the rights on New Year's Eve and have put the rights out to sale for $2 billion, no doubt hoping that Amazon ponies up so they gain full control of all the screen rights to LotR and The Hobbit.

However, Warner Brothers believes that they have fulfilled the criteria and reportedly there are urgent meetings going on behind closed doors in Hollywood between WB's representatives and the SZC's. It could end up in court, which would be interesting.

And Peter Jackson posted on FB that he's excited of the anime and supportive of the attempt and will "be in line day 1 to see it in theatre". And it sounds like LOTR writer Phillipa Boyens gave the job to her daughter Phoebe Gittins after she was asked to pen it?

Sounds like a right royal mess all around.

Seems pretty early to declare excitement one way or another when the thing is still in early planning and we don't even know who is actually animating it yet, but oh well. Phillipa Boyens/her daughter aren't writing it, looks like they are just "writing consultants" and the screenplay is being written by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.

It does worry me a bit that there are like 8 different American companies and people "producing" this even while the actual animation/editing/etc is probably handled by a single studio in Japan. Sounds like a lot of corporate meddling and lack of confidence in the people actually making it. Like this promo art they released with this press release isn't even from the show's creators, apparently it was just commissioned from WETA who has no other involvement in the project?

[Abyss]

D, on 16 February 2022 - 01:22 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 15 February 2022 - 07:38 PM, said:

Werthead, on 15 February 2022 - 07:32 PM, said:

worry, on 15 February 2022 - 07:01 AM, said:

Thermonuclear-level lawsuit alert. This animated movie exists solely because it's a rights-holding measure. Warner Brothers needed to get a new Middle-earth movie in production by the end of 2021 to hold onto the movie rights (originally licensed from the Saul Zaentz Company in 1997 to make the OG Jackson trilogy and extended to make the Hobbit trilogy) so WB put this animated movie intro production. The Saul Zaentz Company did not believe that an animated film fulfilled the criteria so they apparently proclaimed a reversal of the rights on New Year's Eve and have put the rights out to sale for $2 billion, no doubt hoping that Amazon ponies up so they gain full control of all the screen rights to LotR and The Hobbit.

However, Warner Brothers believes that they have fulfilled the criteria and reportedly there are urgent meetings going on behind closed doors in Hollywood between WB's representatives and the SZC's. It could end up in court, which would be interesting.

And Peter Jackson posted on FB that he's excited of the anime and supportive of the attempt and will "be in line day 1 to see it in theatre". And it sounds like LOTR writer Phillipa Boyens gave the job to her daughter Phoebe Gittins after she was asked to pen it?

Sounds like a right royal mess all around.

Seems pretty early to declare excitement one way or another when the thing is still in early planning and we don't even know who is actually animating it yet, but oh well. Phillipa Boyens/her daughter aren't writing it, looks like they are just "writing consultants" and the screenplay is being written by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.

It does worry me a bit that there are like 8 different American companies and people "producing" this even while the actual animation/editing/etc is probably handled by a single studio in Japan. Sounds like a lot of corporate meddling and lack of confidence in the people actually making it. Like this promo art they released with this press release isn't even from the show's creators, apparently it was just commissioned from WETA who has no other involvement in the project?

Something something My Precious something you shall not pass something something something

[worry]

Let's just pray this anime eventually brings drama both to the world at large and to this board.

[Malankazooie]

[QuickTidal]

D, on 16 February 2022 - 01:22 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 15 February 2022 - 07:38 PM, said:

Werthead, on 15 February 2022 - 07:32 PM, said:

worry, on 15 February 2022 - 07:01 AM, said:

Thermonuclear-level lawsuit alert. This animated movie exists solely because it's a rights-holding measure. Warner Brothers needed to get a new Middle-earth movie in production by the end of 2021 to hold onto the movie rights (originally licensed from the Saul Zaentz Company in 1997 to make the OG Jackson trilogy and extended to make the Hobbit trilogy) so WB put this animated movie intro production. The Saul Zaentz Company did not believe that an animated film fulfilled the criteria so they apparently proclaimed a reversal of the rights on New Year's Eve and have put the rights out to sale for $2 billion, no doubt hoping that Amazon ponies up so they gain full control of all the screen rights to LotR and The Hobbit.

However, Warner Brothers believes that they have fulfilled the criteria and reportedly there are urgent meetings going on behind closed doors in Hollywood between WB's representatives and the SZC's. It could end up in court, which would be interesting.

And Peter Jackson posted on FB that he's excited of the anime and supportive of the attempt and will "be in line day 1 to see it in theatre". And it sounds like LOTR writer Phillipa Boyens gave the job to her daughter Phoebe Gittins after she was asked to pen it?

Sounds like a right royal mess all around.

Seems pretty early to declare excitement one way or another when the thing is still in early planning and we don't even know who is actually animating it yet, but oh well. Phillipa Boyens/her daughter aren't writing it, looks like they are just "writing consultants" and the screenplay is being written by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.

It does worry me a bit that there are like 8 different American companies and people "producing" this even while the actual animation/editing/etc is probably handled by a single studio in Japan. Sounds like a lot of corporate meddling and lack of confidence in the people actually making it. Like this promo art they released with this press release isn't even from the show's creators, apparently it was just commissioned from WETA who has no other involvement in the project?

Yeah and as Wert said, this is a Rights-keep move, and those almost always suck since they don't really invest much money as it's just to extend the license....but you're right, nothing I've heard so far fills me with hope that this will be good even if it does miraculously get made. I think the only "didn't suck; made to keep rights movie" was AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and that's only cause Spider is and was Sony's big franchise.

[champ]

I thought it was strange when they announced an anime, didn't seem to make much sense, I thought it must be an accompanying Amazon production... obviously not.

Can understand why now but this could be a shit-show... makes me think of Wheel of Time and Billy Zane.

[Tiste Simeon]

I mean, I'll still watch it...

[Werthead]

D, on 16 February 2022 - 01:22 AM, said:

Seems pretty early to declare excitement one way or another when the thing is still in early planning and we don't even know who is actually animating it yet, but oh well. Phillipa Boyens/her daughter aren't writing it, looks like they are just "writing consultants" and the screenplay is being written by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.

Sola Entertainment is the production company and Kenji Kamiyama is the director. He has a fairly good track record.

[worry]

They shoulda got Rankin-Bass.

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 16 February 2022 - 07:47 PM, said:

They shoulda got Rankin-Bass.

Stop motion and narrated by the ghost of Fred Astaire.

[D'rek]

Werthead, on 16 February 2022 - 07:12 PM, said:

D, on 16 February 2022 - 01:22 AM, said:

Seems pretty early to declare excitement one way or another when the thing is still in early planning and we don't even know who is actually animating it yet, but oh well. Phillipa Boyens/her daughter aren't writing it, looks like they are just "writing consultants" and the screenplay is being written by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.

Sola Entertainment is the production company and Kenji Kamiyama is the director. He has a fairly good track record.

Sola Entertainment isn't an animation studio, just an over-arching production company, and we don't know what studio they'll be subcontracting the work to. They do have a subsidiary, Sola Digital Arts, which *is* an animation studio, one which works exclusively in full 3DCG and does 90% of the production jobs Sola Entertainment hands out.

Kamiyama has a phenomenal track record on his 90s/00s works, but after Eden of the East he got waaaaay into making full-CG reboots/spin-offs of big franchises, for whatever reason - Cyborg 009, then the CG Ultraman anime, then Ghost in the Shell:SAC:2045, and most recently Blade Runner:Black Lotus, and those have been mostly...



...uh, not great.

Though he did make Napping Princess (pretty good family/kids movie) and The Ninth Jedi in-between those, so maybe he'll be fine after all.

Most of those spin-off CG shows Kamiyama made have been with Sola Digital Arts, so it would seem War of the Rohirrim will just be the next Sola Digital Arts + Kamiyama CG spin-off of a big franchise show, right? Except a producer has said War of the Rohirrim will absolutely be 2D, and Sola Digital Arts doesn't do 2D at all. So that leaves a big mystery of who will actually be animating this - there's not any particular "go to" 2D studio that Sola Entertainment typically subcontracts to, so we have no idea so far. (And also: why would they even want Kamiyama to direct this, then, instead of someone who has actually been directing 2D fantasy works in the last decade?)

worry, on 16 February 2022 - 07:47 PM, said:

They shoulda got Rankin-Bass.

Claymation is out, feltmotion is in! Get the Pui Pui Molcar guy to make it!

[worry]

Oh my gosh that is so cute!

[Malankazooie]

New trailer. The money spent per episode, that has been so highly publicized, is apparent in a couple of the scenes. I personally am kind of more guarded about this now. I think it might be a lot of cool effects, but skimpy on the meat that counts - acting and story. I'm probably wrong though; I hope I am. I'm just getting that feel from it.

[Tsundoku]

Looks less shit than the previous trailers and teasers.

Looks.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Galadriel looks well cast, and the landscape visuals look beautiful. I can't say I'm won over by anything else - the dialogue about darkness taking over the world just makes it sound like Generic Fantasy 101 rather than anything recognisably Tolkien. I'll still give it a watch and see.

[worry]

Tolkien famously had no strong facility for language so I think the dialogue will be at least par with the source material. I'll be satisfied if the show finally answers why Gandalf, whose main ability is making fireworks, didn't also invent gunpowder at some point and give Isildur or whoever a machine gun.

[Tiste Simeon]

I see what you guys are saying but I am so hyped for this show. I'm perhaps not as much of a Tolkien nerd as TRB (but sure such a thing is possible ) so I'm not hooked on canon etc. I'm just ready to get back into that world!

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 15 July 2022 - 06:19 AM, said:

the dialogue about darkness taking over the world just makes it sound like Generic Fantasy 101 rather than anything recognisably Tolkien.

I'll give you this, but Elrond telling Galadriel it's time to give up her sword and her saying "You've not seen what I've seen" and he's like "I've seen things" and she looks pointedly at him and repeats in a staccato "You've. Not. Seen. What. I've. Seen." overlaid on what I can only assume is the Kinslaying at Alqualonde...gave me chills.

Also letting Morfydd Clark keep her Welsh accent for Galadriel is adding something to the character for me that I REALLY like.

I'm with Tiste, I'm super exited about this.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 15 July 2022 - 11:49 AM

[Maark Abbott]

worry, on 15 February 2022 - 07:01 AM, said:

FINALLY, a LOTR that's right for -me-!

[Malankazooie]

Guy guest hosting the recent edition of the Fantasy News said "I don't mean to be a negative Nazgûl, I'm just very hesitant about the show."

That's cheesetastic.

I'm not as pessimistic about it, but my fantasy spidey-sense is picking up tonal waves that are landing with me like the Wheel of Time did. Which I started and liked initially but had to bounce out after ...blergh.