Dumbass of the Day

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies made over a billion dollars for New Line and saved the company. He ended up suing them because they didn’t give him accurate DVD sales figures. And what does their boss decide to do?

In the latest comment in the controversy surrounding a proposed movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, New Line head Robert Shaye told SCI FI Wire in no uncertain terms that the studio won’t work with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson on that film or any other film. Ever. At least not as long as Shaye is in charge.

Shaye’s comments marked the first time a New Line executive has commented publicly on the fracas since Jackson announced that he has pulled out of the project and also appears to harden New Line’s position against Jackson.

“I do not want to make a movie with somebody who is suing me,” Shaye—New Line’s chief executive officer—said in an interview on Jan. 5 while promoting The Last Mimzy, a New Line family fantasy that marks his first time in a director’s chair since 1990’s Book of Love. “It will never happen during my watch.”

It’s a general rule of thumb that if someone says “You’ll never work in this town again.” that means the speaker of that phrase will soon reap what he has sown. See Mike Ovitz. I know of several editors in comics who met that fate, while the creators are still working a decade later. Talent is what entertainment companies need more than pencil pushers. The suits never seem to get that.

UPDATE: Peter Jackson responds.

The reality of the statement is as follows:
“You’ll never work in this town again...unless we need you.”

Posted by  on  01/10  at  09:41 PM

PJ IS the Hobbit. Why do the suits always have to ruin EVERYTHING!!

Posted by  on  01/11  at  03:51 AM

Hollywood’s got no shortage of management types who like to piss in the soup because they like the flavor better.  Just read about some of the things they wanted to do with Hellboy (such as making him an ordinary guy who turns into a demon when angry - gee, where have we heard that before) and weep…

Posted by  on  01/11  at  06:41 AM
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