Peter Jackson vs. New Line Cinema

[Flash's Lightning]

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Peter_Jackson_banned_from_working_with_New_Line

Peter Jackson banned from working with New Line
From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!

Movie studio company, New Line Cinema has announced that movie director Peter Jackson will never be allowed to work on another New Line film. This announcement will also mean that Mr Jackson will not be allowed to film the prequel titled The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings films he directed.

The announcement was made mainly because New Zealander Mr Jackson and his partner, Fran Walsh, filed a law suit against New Line in 2005 as they believed New Line owed them much more money than they received for The Lord of the Rings trilogy as shown to them by a partial audit of The Fellowship of the Ring. Mr Jackson described it as "financial anomalies," which New Line refused to account for. "Fundamentally, our legal action is about holding New Line to its contractual obligations and promises." The film trilogies have so far managed to earn US$3 billion in ticket sales since 2001.

New Line has repeatedly refused permission for Mr Jackson to audit the other films in the trilogy The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, even though Mr Jackson described film auditing as a common practice. "We don't understand why New Line Cinema has taken this position," Mr Jackson said.

In an interview with the Sci Fi Wire, Robert Shaye, co-chairman of New Line and executive producer of The Lord of the Rings, said that New Line does not want to do any films, including The Hobbit, with Mr Jackson in the future. "I do not want to make a movie with somebody who is suing me. It will never happen during my watch."

"I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore. He wants to have another $100 million or $50 million, whatever he's suing us for," Mr Shaye said.

Mr Shaye said he has been offended by the lawsuit brought to his company by Mr Jackson. "He got a quarter of a billion dollars paid to him so far, justifiable, according to contract, completely right, [but then] turns around without wanting to have a discussion with us and sues us and refuses to discuss it unless we just give in to his plan."

However Mr Jackson claims that he had been trying to discuss it with New Line, saying: "We attempted to discuss the issues raised with New Line for over a year but the studio was and continues to be completely uncooperative. ... Nobody likes taking legal action, but the studio left us with no alternative."

Mr Jackson has said that he has and will continue to have the highest respect and affection for Mr Shaye and has said that he regrets he has taken the lawsuit personally.

"[Jackson's] either had very poor counsel or is completely misinformed and myopic to think that I care whether I give him [anything]," Mr Shaye said.

Mr Shaye has said he is disappointed that many of the stars in The Lord of the Rings trilogy had refused to celebrate New Line's 40th anniversary. Mr Jackson said that the reason for that was probably because Mr Shaye had issues with the cast years before the lawsuit arose.

[Donald M.]

I don't who looks more ridiculous here, Jackson for whom a quarter of a billion dollars apparently isn't enough, or Shaye for reacting to the lawsuit like a kid that's had sand kicked on him in the schoolyard.

Okay, Shaye is looking more ridiculous, but I don't get this lawsuit at all.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Thats $250 million dollars. BY GGGGGGOOOOOODDD. How much more do you need ? Jackson is someone I used to respect as a Director but this is just beyond crazy. Its just GREED pure and simple. Had Jackson made about 20 million or 30 , I'd be in his coner. But when you make a quarter of a billion dollars and your wanting more....damn.

[Flash's Lightning]

I don't who looks more ridiculous here, Jackson for whom a quarter of a billion dollars apparently isn't enough, or Shaye for reacting to the lawsuit like a kid that's had sand kicked on him in the schoolyard.

Okay, Shaye is looking more ridiculous, but I don't get this lawsuit at all.

In other news, Shaye says he wants his baseball cards Peter stole when they were both in fifth grade back or else he's never going to be friends with him again ever.

[Alex]

The funny thing is, new line loses nothing.
Uwe Boll could direct the hobbit and it would bank.

[Flash's Lightning]

The funny thing is, new line loses nothing.
Uwe Boll could direct the hobbit and it would bank.

Well, they may get some money, but don't rule out word of mouth if it's a bad movie. The first weekend or two would be awesome, then people would do an aboutface and be like "eh, never mind".

[SUPERECWFAN1]

The funny thing is, new line loses nothing.
Uwe Boll could direct the hobbit and it would bank.

Yeah the Franchise is already established. All they have to do is do a tagline "From the producers who gave you the Lord of the Rings...." as an intro and it sells itself.

[Jmacq1]

I dunno about greed. New Line signed a contract the same as Peter. If New Line isn't holding up their end of the bargain, than they should be taken to task for it.

The fact that Peter Jackson got a lot of money for that trilogy is irrelevant (particularly considering that his directing talents played a significant role in earning that money in the first place). If New Line is "cooking the books" to try to keep more of those grosses for themselves, that's wrong no matter how much (or how little) money is involved.

Yeah, it's greed pure and simple...greed on the part of the movie studio (and it's not like movie studios haven't been caught in such dealings before), if Mr. Jackson's allegations are true (and at the very least, I'm inclined to believe that they are..."Hollywood Math" is infamous for "proving" how much money a film did or didn't make (usually the latter as it means they don't have to shell out more money).

[Alex]

Well, they may get some money, but don't rule out word of mouth if it's a bad movie. The first weekend or two would be awesome, then people would do an aboutface and be like "eh, never mind".

Doesn't always happen. Ghost Rider got panned and made money.

[Jmacq1]

Doesn't always happen. Ghost Rider got panned and made money.

Ghost Rider also didn't cost nearly as much to make and market as a "Hobbit" movie is likely to.

Nor does it possess a huge number of people who are intimately familiar with the story and how it's supposed to go.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I dunno about greed. New Line signed a contract the same as Peter. If New Line isn't holding up their end of the bargain, than they should be taken to task for it.

The fact that Peter Jackson got a lot of money for that trilogy is irrelevant (particularly considering that his directing talents played a significant role in earning that money in the first place). If New Line is "cooking the books" to try to keep more of those grosses for themselves, that's wrong no matter how much (or how little) money is involved.

Yeah, it's greed pure and simple...greed on the part of the movie studio (and it's not like movie studios haven't been caught in such dealings before), if Mr. Jackson's allegations are true (and at the very least, I'm inclined to believe that they are..."Hollywood Math" is infamous for "proving" how much money a film did or didn't make (usually the latter as it means they don't have to shell out more money).

Thing is he signed a contract for that amount $250 million. If Jackson had signed a contract happy with the payout then , how he could sue years later for more money makes even me wonder. At some point his orginal contract will have to come into play.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Doesn't always happen. Ghost Rider got panned and made money.

I remember when everyone was panning it , claiming it would bomb. Instead the film went on to bank nearly 120 million in the US alone. Thats the power of Cage. ;)

[DonC]

This is old news. Has it been settled?

[rick]

Thing is he signed a contract for that amount $250 million. If Jackson had signed a contract happy with the payout then , how he could sue years later for more money makes even me wonder. At some point his orginal contract will have to come into play.


He signed a contract for a percentage of the movies earnings, not a specific amount.

The question is about what those earning actually are.

It is telling that all Jackson is currently asking for is to have outside accountants look at the films finances. If the studio has nothing to hide and has been upfront on the earnings, then why are they against having an outside agency take a look, especially?

[MartinRedmond]

The fact that Peter Jackson got a lot of money for that trilogy is irrelevant (particularly considering that his directing talents played a significant role in earning that money in the first place). If New Line is "cooking the books" to try to keep more of those grosses for themselves, that's wrong no matter how much (or how little) money is involved.

Exactly, I agree.

[Toku King]

It's principal. I mean, they did offer him more than that.
New Line didn't follow in with the deal. Now they're mad because they might lose what's a small fraction of what they have.
Like someone else said, they're being little kids. "I don't wanna do that, so you're out of my treehouse!"

[Ryan Day]

Thats $250 million dollars. BY GGGGGGOOOOOODDD. How much more do you need ? Jackson is someone I used to respect as a Director but this is just beyond crazy. Its just GREED pure and simple.

It's not about greed, it's about wanting terms of the contract upheld. If Jackson's being greedy, what is New Line being? It's not like they're giving all their profits away to orphans.

[jesse_custer]

It is telling that all Jackson is currently asking for is to have outside accountants look at the films finances. If the studio has nothing to hide and has been upfront on the earnings, then why are they against having an outside agency take a look, especially?

Best point made.

Personally, I think this might turn out better for Peter Jackson fans. Return of the King was just too massive and melodramatically directed; Jackson needs to come back down and make some original films that actually end, like Heavenly Creatures.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

He signed a contract for a percentage of the movies earnings, not a specific amount.

The question is about what those earning actually are.

It is telling that all Jackson is currently asking for is to have outside accountants look at the films finances. If the studio has nothing to hide and has been upfront on the earnings, then why are they against having an outside agency take a look, especially?

I always thought he had gotten a straight amount. That they had agreed on a straight amount for all 3 films. If its for a percentage of the movies then its gonna be a while. Studios I'm sure hate having others eye their books.

[Monkey]

It's not about greed, it's about wanting terms of the contract upheld. If Jackson's being greedy, what is New Line being? It's not like they're giving all their profits away to orphans.

Exactly, it doesn't matter how much they have already given him. If they owe him then they should pay, you can't have one rule for one person and another for others just because it's a lot of money. It's like some guy saying to me "Oh we've already given you 2000 bucks, that's a lot of money so we're not going to give the other 1000 we agreed on for the work you did."

[Flash's Lightning]

Exactly, it doesn't matter how much they have already given him. If they owe him then they should pay, you can't have one rule for one person and another for others just because it's a lot of money. It's like some guy saying to me "Oh we've already given you 2000 bucks, that's a lot of money so we're not going to give the other 1000 we agreed on for the work you did."

Actually I like that plan. It'd make it easier to pay off my car.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

It's not about greed, it's about wanting terms of the contract upheld. If Jackson's being greedy, what is New Line being? It's not like they're giving all their profits away to orphans.

Its "Hollywood". Thats how its always gonna be. Studios will make the most money. Its not right at times and many stars and directors I've heard do get angry at studios for it. Years ago a studio got ape shit at James Cameron for Titanic and were distressed that costs for the film had climbed over 200 million.

Cameron was having a hard time getting the film finished and then had to waive his directors fee to finish it. Insisting that he get paid on the back end if the film did well.

The big thing is , how much money did New Line pour into all 3 films ? I've heard the cast had to live in New Zealand for a year or 2. Thats all that filming , the costs to advertise and promote the films ect ect.

The following is from Box office Mojo.

Lord of the Rings : Fellowship of the Ring : $93 Million Production Budget
Lord of the Rings: Two Towers: $94 Million
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King $94 Million.

[GRANT!]

It's Peter Jacksons company suing New Line not just Peter Jackson himself. I'm assuming most of that money goes towards running the company specifically one that makes 100-200 million dollar movies. I think it's perfectly reasonable for business partners to request an independent audit. James Cameron had one done after Titanic came out. And Fox didn't freak out and say he would never work for them again.

New Line already got into trouble for not paying the actors agreed upon wages for their involvement in the films.

[Ryan Day]

Its "Hollywood". Thats how its always gonna be. Studios will make the most money. Its not right at times and many stars and directors I've heard do get angry at studios for it. Years ago a studio got ape shit at James Cameron for Titanic and were distressed that costs for the film had climbed over 200 million.
...
The big thing is , how much money did New Line pour into all 3 films ? I've heard the cast had to live in New Zealand for a year or 2. Thats all that filming , the costs to advertise and promote the films ect ect.


All true, of course, and there's nothing wrong with that.

But again, the problem here isn't that Peter Jackson wants more money. He wants what was promised to him in his contract. And if he's greedy for that, then surely New Line is greedy for trying to cook the books and pretend they don't owe him anything else?

[Jmacq1]

Particularly since if New Line is "right" and they don't owe him any more money, an independent inquiry would only verify that.

In other words, the fact that New Line is adamantly refusing to play ball is a pretty strong indicator of who's at fault here. And it also stands to reason that they owe Mr. Jackson a significant amount of money and they know it....because otherwise they'd just pay up and be done with it.

They know how much cred Jackson gained with these films, and how well-regarded he is by the actors that played in the films (and who have repeatedly gushed about him publicly). They wouldn't be taking the "publicity hit" they're taking if it wasn't going to cause a significantly greater financial loss for them to pay up.

Bottom Line: New Line is acting guilty as hell already.

[The Zapper]

Both parties are acting like children. All in all, I don't think that New Line will suffer much seeing as how I think Jackson has hit his peak. I may be wrong, but King Kong was not Lord of The Rings quality by any means.

[Flash's Lightning]

Both parties are acting like children. All in all, I don't think that New Line will suffer much seeing as how I think Jackson has hit his peak. I may be wrong, but King Kong was not Lord of The Rings quality by any means.

You are not wrong.

[Tobias March]

Kicking Jackson out of New Line's 'treehouse', is a ridiculous decision. More so because of his obvious love for the films and no doubt willingness to revisit the trilogy for an infinite number of re-releases (generating even more revenue for the studio). Maybe replacing that CGI Gollum from the first film. He'd have been their own pet George Lucas, overseeing special edition after special edition.

From what I understand he's entered into a new business relationship with Spielberg, which will I'm sure prove fruitful for both of them.

[Ryan Day]

Both parties are acting like children.

How do you figure? New Line, maybe, but Jackson is suing to have the terms of his contract enforced. I don't get "childish" out of that.

[GRANT!]

Both parties are acting like children. All in all, I don't think that New Line will suffer much seeing as how I think Jackson has hit his peak. I may be wrong, but King Kong was not Lord of The Rings quality by any means.

Maybe in terms of epic blockbusters but he's got some interesting stuff in the works.

Lovely Bones (which is a much smaller film) is shaping up to be really good. Apparently the script is fantastic (the book it's based on is great) and Ryan Gosling and Rachel Weisz have been cast. That movie could end up being one of his best films.

And the Tin-Tin movies he's doing with Spielburg sounds really interesting.

Despite it's flaws I really liked King Kong. Compared to some of the movies that came out this summer I say King Kong is much better then most blockbusters that have came out recently.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Both parties are acting like children. All in all, I don't think that New Line will suffer much seeing as how I think Jackson has hit his peak. I may be wrong, but King Kong was not Lord of The Rings quality by any means.

It did make $ 500 million Worldwide. So...he can make even 3 hour suck films that last too long into money makers.

[Flash's Lightning]

How do you figure? New Line, maybe, but Jackson is suing to have the terms of his contract enforced. I don't get "childish" out of that.

According to the article, he wouldn't sit down to talk to NLC. He said, basically, "my way or the highway", do what I want or I'll sue you.

He could've talked to the people, even if just to demand what's owed him. :)

[xnef1025]

According to the article, he wouldn't sit down to talk to NLC. He said, basically, "my way or the highway", do what I want or I'll sue you.

He could've talked to the people, even if just to demand what's owed him. :)
The thing is, the only way to figure out what he's still owed or not owed is an audit, and since it seems New Line's money people have already screwed up once on this, it isn't unreasonable to demand an independent firm come in and do the thing.

If you were the one who thought they were owed another few million dollars for your work, would you really want the people you already think shorted you redoing the numbers themselves. Guess what the answer would be.

[GRANT!]

I don't see why people are getting bent out of shape about this.The guy just wants to make sure he's getting what he's owed. Just because it's millions of dollars shouldn't make a difference. Independent Audits are not that uncommon. And they found some discrepency when they did the audit for Fellowship. So there's some reason for him to believe New Line hasn't been on the level.

I don't see how thinking King Kong sucks has to do with anything this.

[Mike Pothier]

I am completely on Jackson's side on this issue. Get a damn audit, and see where the money is supposed to go. Considering he basically saved New Line Cinema from bankruptcy, they owe him that much.

[mgs]

I not on either side. I don't really know the facts, but it's kinda weird as they (cast, director, filmmakers) were all buddy-buddy years before making the film, then, suddenly, they've all turned sour on one another. It's seemingly strange, petty, and sours thoughts on everyone involved.

[Michael P]

Is there a story about this from an actual news source?

[mgs]

Is there a story about this from an actual news source?

I know it's E! but...

http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=b797bf82-821a-4c4b-962e-d7e458344709

[Flash's Lightning]

Is there a story about this from an actual news source?

Look at the bottom of the linked page. Wikinews requires sources. One of them is Reuters.