Oh, Lord! New Snub Distances Jackson from Hobbit
Harsh words uttered by New Line cochairman Bob Shaye in an interview with Sci Fi Wire appear to have all but nixed any chance for
Lord of the Rings auteur
Peter Jackson to helm the
Hobbit trilogy. With a nod to
Jackson's lawsuit against New Line, which seeks to sort out a financial anomaly born of an audit of the original
LOTR film, Shaye said, "I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore. He wants to have another $100 million or $50 million, whatever he's suing us for. He thinks we owe him something after we've paid him over a quarter of a billion dollars. Cheers, Peter."
In response, says Reuters, Jackson issued a statement saying he only seeks to hold New Line "to its contractual obligations and promises. It is regrettable that Bob has chosen to make it personal."