With that ugly little feud with Peter Jackson in the rear-view mirror (for the time being, anyway) New Line chief Bob Shaye recently had a few vague things to say about the state of the "Hobbit" movie.
Apparently New Line has claimed 2009 as a release year for "The Hobbit," most likely because they have to plant some sort of flag in order to hold on to the book rights. There’s no script yet, no director in sight, and a whole lot of other questions floating around. Not to mention the lawsuit. But yeah, "2009" is what we’re being told.
Mr. Shaye kept mum on the Sam Raimi rumors, and he continued to be throw around phrases like "difficult filmmakers," but I suppose this is how deals get done in Hollywood. Frankly I liked it a whole lot better when we all just wondered if there would ever be a "Hobbit" movie. All this drama is getting pretty tiresome if you ask me.
[ Sources: IGN Movies, The New York Times ]
