The chat with Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro about the new ‘The Hobbit’ movies took place today — or yesterday depending on where you live. And some minor facts came out of it. Peter Jackson mainly spoke about his role in making the movie, but there were some other interesting tidbits too.

About a possible Blu-ray set of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies, Peter Jackson said, “We are working on a blu ray [sic] version of the LOTR trilogy with Warner Bros at the moment, not sure when it is due for release. It certainly won’t be this year.”

Guillermo also confirmed the (likely) involvement of Howard Shore for the movies’ score. “Yes- absolutely, Shore is the VOICE of these films and we will absolutely be invited back. Peter and Fran have talked to him a couple of times already and Ive [sic] exchanged emails about the subject. He will return.” Interesting, since Peter Jackson replaced Shore at the last moment for his ‘King Kong.’

Continue reading ‘The Hobbit’ chat: Jackson’s involvement

Hollywood is desperate for some Muslim money. Getting ready to set up several theme parks, they are putting their focus on getting all their signature characters out there. “On the one hand, they hate America. On the other hand they love America to the bone,” said Michael Izady, an expert on the Middle East to the AP.

While Captain America might not be a major hit, a ‘bare-shouldered Wonder Wonder’ wouldn’t be a problem “unless we depicted her as a Muslim woman,” said Tsujihara, who’s setting up a Warner theme park in Abu Dhabi.

One of the first theme parks will be a $2.2 billion Universal Studios project, with franchises like ‘King Kong’ and ‘Jurassic Park,’ set to open in 2010. Followed by a $1 billion park by Marvel Entertainment Inc. in Abu Dhabi by 2011, making a new home for ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘Fantastic Four’ and ‘X-Men.’