New Line chief vows never to work with Peter Jackson - Mania.com
HomeREGISTER HomeRSS 
HomeHOME



Movie News

39 Comments | Add
 

Rate & Share:
 

Related Links:
 

Info:

New Line chief vows never to work with Peter Jackson

By Karl Schneider     January 10, 2007


Director Peter Jackson and Jack Black on the set of KING KONG (2005).
© Universal Pictures
While doing an interview regarding The Last Mimzy, New Line's chief executive officer, Robert Shaye, had some blunt words for Peter Jackson.

"I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore," said Shaye.  "He wants to have another $100 million or $50 million, whatever he's suing us for. He doesn't want to sit down and talk about it. He thinks that we owe him something after we've paid him over a quarter of a billion dollars. ... Cheers, Peter."

He continued on to say, "There's a kind of arrogance.  Not that I don't think Peter is a good filmmaker and that he hasn't contributed significantly to filmography and made three very good movies. And I don't even expect him to say 'thank you' for having me make it happen and having New Line make it happen. But to think that I, as a functionary in [a] company that has been around for a long time, but is now owned by a very big conglomerate, would care one bit about trying to cheat the guy, ... he's either had very poor counsel or is completely misinformed and myopic to think that I care whether I give him [anything]."

Regarding making another Hobbit film with Jackson: "It will never happen during my watch," said Shaye.

Shaye also seemed upset with the fact that many of the Lord of the Rings trilogy actors have "suddenly, because, I'm guessing, of Peter's complaint," declined to participate in celebrating New Line's 40th anniversary. "I'm incredibly offended."


KJ's Take:  None of this is new with regards to the film The Hobbit, but this is the first time that Shaye has commented publicly about the whole mess and boy did he ever let it all out.

Even with the Tom Cruise fiasco we didn't see back and forth bickering through the media as fierce as this.  It's a bit much to tell you the truth.

Will we ever know who's right and who's wrong?  Maybe.  I think a lot of us fans tend to side with Peter Jackson, holding up our fists at the establishment, the big corporation, blindly faithful to the little guy, Jackson.

Fact is, Jackson is raking New Line over the bad publicity coals on this one, and I have no idea if he is right to do so.  Neither do you, you can't, none of us can.

I don't have access to the contract or to New Line's accounting books for the films, so I have no idea who's right and who's wrong.  I just wish they would let it play out in court rather than continue to taint both the studio's and Jackson's name.

MOVIES REVIEWS

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

Showing items 1 - 10 of 39
1 2 3 4 >  >>  
mckracken 1/10/2007 2:07:08 AM
shaye sounds like a typical hollywood wanker. If I had to work with this guy, I'd demand more money too. " "There's a kind of arrogance. Not that I don't think Peter is a good filmmaker and that he hasn't contributed significantly to filmography and made three very good movies." THREE???? THREE very Good movies??? oh come now Shaye... obviously you havent seen the REST of Jacksons films. LOL! I dont know whether to cringe, cry or laugh hysterically... either way... Shaye and New Line Cinema dont really know who or what they've lost. Jacksons potential still has yet to be tapped fully.. even AFTER the 3 Lord of the Rings flicks (and King Kong) and his effects house is second to none...and that includes Lucasfilm Ltd. I just hope that Jackson can rebound and give us another aweome flick, else he'll be trapped in that Tarantino mold of doing one movie every century.
myklspader 1/10/2007 2:19:57 AM
Now you CAN call Jackson a little guy due to the stomach staples, but I gotta side with Shaye here. What does the company gain by screwing over the guy who delivered them well TONS and TONS of cash on yes THREE VERY GOOD MOVIES? I mean why screw over the guy who could bring in more with The Hobbit? I am guessing that Jackson is the same as everyone else, greedy. (so much for his claim that he did LOTR for the love of them) Hey Tarantino always delivers in my POV, so take a century I guess if that is what you call it… I call it a man who is heavy on dialogue and pacing of that dialogue so yeah it does take a few years but the films are worth it, but I wouldn't consider it a century now.
lincolnparadox 1/10/2007 2:39:28 AM
From what I've read, Jackson is suing for potential lost money due to New Line giving no-bid contracts to companies within its home Time-Warner conglomerate. Jackson claims that because New Line didn't seek outside bids from other companies, and because his people weren't allowed to be part of the bidding process, he lost potential income. Here's an article from CNN. http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/27/news/newsmakers/peterjackson_lawsuit/ So, this isn't some accounting chicanery issue. This is litigious maneuvering. Maybe Jackson is right? Maybe they cost him money by keeping everything in-house? But, unless his contract stated that he had some say in the merchandising process he's kind of screwed. Saul Zaentz (the guy who owns the rights to Tolkien's works) has gone on the record saying that he wants Jackson on board AND the New Line owes Jackson some amount in terms of "profit share." And he should know. But he's not suing New Line. http://www.showbizdata.com/contacts/picknews.cfm/42817/ZAENTZ_RINGS_IN_JACKSON_FOR_PREQUELS
browbeat 1/10/2007 4:31:02 AM
Despite the lack of communication between the two as Shaye states, both give rather poignant arguments. I'll stay neutral in this but still feel it a shame that Jackson and New Line will not collaborate together again to give us The Hobbit. It's sad, but we'll live.
ponyboy76 1/10/2007 5:07:48 AM
Shaye is obviously pissed about the situation, but from what I`ve been reading New Line has done it to themselves. I have always been a fan of New Line because they take chances on a lot projects most companies pass over, but I honestly believe that Jackson has a legitimate gripe. And you ask why would they screw over someone like Jackson? Well, because they can.(Or at least they thought they could) Apparently Jackson isn`t having any of it though. I think New Line and Shaye are pissed because he is actually standing up to them and "How dare he!" Shaye can say he won`t work with Jackson again, but it won`t be Jackson that is going to lose out in the end. The Hobbit will not make as much as it would if Jackson was at the helm and that is fact.
tiredjay 1/10/2007 8:00:37 AM
If you read the CNN article, he's suing New Line for money that really doesn't exist. From the CNN article: "In his lawsuit, Jackson accuses New Line of granting the licensing rights to "Lord of the Rings" books, DVDs, and merchandise to other Time Warner companies without allowing bids from other entertainment companies. As a result, the total revenues related to the film were lower than they would have been had there been open bidding for these ancillary rights, Jackson claims." Basically, he's claiming that he's owed the money that they would have generated if they went to companies not related to Warners. He's assuming that there would've been a higher profit margin, and he wants a cut of that assumed profit margin... which doesn't actually exist. He also shows that he has no idea how entertainment corporations actually do business. So, yeah, Shaye might actually have a point there.
noblenonsense 1/10/2007 8:09:11 AM
Showing my bias right away: I know no facts about the lawsuit, agreements, contracts, etc. Pure opinion: I love what New Line does. They are ballsy. But the fact is that studios WILL/HAVE screw over producers, directors, and actors. They have no problems with doing that. Look at Lucas when he first made SW: A New Hope. Fox Studios was saved, yes they were saved, by this movie. Did they pay him well? NOPE. So instead Lucas went and paid out of pocket for his sequels because he was going to get screwed by Fox. It happens in Hollywood. As for Shaye going after the actors who sided with Jackson? Thats pathetic, immature, petty, and pushed more people to Jackson's side.
kaybar 1/10/2007 8:37:11 AM
i'm gonna agree with Karl on this one here, no matter who's "right", less greedy, whatever, this sh*t needs to played out in court and not on Variety headlines. I don't want to hear about Shaye's dislike for Jackson, or Jackson's dispute to gain more revenue, I want to eff'n hear about progress on the Hobbit. Get your crap together guys
outlawjt 1/10/2007 8:43:57 AM
If the CNN article is accurate then Jackson wouldn't have a legitimate claim unless his contract specifically outlined that he had an equal vote in merchandising decisions. I love Peter Jackson's work as much as all of you but I think too many people are being narrow-minded fanboys about his involvement in the Hobbit. For starters, The Hobbit has a completely different tone and style than LOTR. I think that means it could benefit more from a different style of director. The only things a new director would need to succeed as much as Jackson would with it is the return of Sir Ian and the same visual style of the LOTR movies.
laforcer69@yahoo.com_home 1/10/2007 9:04:14 AM
Peter Jackson is not suing them for money, at least not at the moment. He's asking that an independent group come in and go over the accounting books to see if any money is owed him if it shows that they don't owe him anymore than what he has already recieved he said he would be happy with that decision and leave it be...Listen, New Line was Peter Jackson last hope of getting the Rings made because everyone else had shot it down and because they believed in the project not too mention the incredable presentation Jackson gave them on the pre-production work he had done, thus 300 million was handed over to Jackson to make the movies..New Line was gambling in a big way by giving Jackson this oppertunity because had he failed New Line claims they would have had to claim bankruptcy. well, the rest is history Jackson delivered and in the end he made a quarter of a billion dallors and New Line Made around 2 billion and the money is still rolling in for New Line...Who in the business of movie making is not greedy? I do side with Jackson on this becasue the studios have a clear and documented history of screwing there talent over knowing very well that same talent would be walking back through there doors with there tails between there legs, becasue where else are you going to go to be a movie maker or a movie star? at least within the US. Noblenonsense...In a small way you are correct about george Lucas and Fox studios...There is this little movie he made before SW called American Graffiti, well after making this movie he had a realy bad experience with the studio f*cking with his movie by editing it there way and cutting scenes left and right and a bunch of other stuff that just turned him off completely and he had no say at all as to the finished product, what can you do? your just a director playing with other peoples money and he hated it, well when SW came around the studio thought it was going to bomb and gave Lucas all these rights like merchandising and sole rights to future SW movies and so on and so on of course we all know what took place after that and George Lucas let Hollywood know what he thought, gave it the finger and went his own way because NO one was ever going to mess with his work again..It realy came down to artistic view with Lucas and not money...
1 2 3 4 >  >>  

ADD A COMMENT

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Please click here to login.

MOVIES NEWS UPDATES

MORE CONTENT BY KARL SCHNEIDER

POPULAR TOPICS