Christopher Tolkien, the son of famous author JRR Tolkien, will attempt to block plans for two films based on The Hobbit next week.
A report through The Times states that the 83-year-old man is claiming New Line Cinema owe his family $80 million from a deal brokered in 1969 by his father, in which a 7.5 per cent share of profits is promised from any films produced. Given New Line’s previous track record with paying out revenue, most famously in the case of Peter Jackson himself, this isn’t entirely impossible.
However, Tolkien is also known as being deeply mistrustful of Hollywood in general, and has made clear on previous occasions that he doesn’t believe the Lord Of The Rings world should be made into films. That didn’t stop him making money with the release of a new Rings book, The Children Of Húrin, and attempts to prevent production of The Hobbit haven’t been successful in the past.
Two films are planned with one focusing on the book and the other on an intervening period described in The Silmarillion. Peter Jackson will produce the films, while Guillermo del Toro is signed to direct both.
