Credit: Moviehole.net
You know, I just don’t see Rings fans taking this bit of news very well, regardless of what the studio thinks.
New Line Cinema has apparently asked director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) to direct the future film adaptation of The Hobbit. Raimi would replace Peter Jackson, the award winning director of all three Lord of the Rings films.
Admittedly, Raimi does have a large following and a wide, diverse fan base. The intent of the studio seems to be to cool down fans who are furious that Peter Jackson has been ousted from the Rings prequel film.
However, there is definitely one man in Hollywood (at least one) who will not be happy with this news. Actor Ian McKellen, who plays Gandalf in the series, has gone on record saying, “It’s hard to imagine any other director matching his achievement in Tolkien country.”
Bilbo Baggins, as played by Bruce Campbell. Anyone? No? We’ll see, though I personally believe when this is said and done Jackson will somehow be back on the project. This situation does, however, get more interesting every day.
