So today the rumor going around is that Universal Studios just got the Lord of the Rings for their parks. I know a lot of people (nerds like me mostly) are excited but I think a lot of people are blowing it out of proportion. Don't get me wrong, I love LOTR (yes I carried the One Ring around my neck in school) but I don't think this is as big of an announcement as people think.
I keep thinking back to the years between LOTR:ROTK and the Hobbit and I remember how no one cared about Tolkien's Middle Earth except for the fan base that was there before the films.
I think the excessive price tag I'm sure Universal paid (especially since we all know that Disney wanted these rights too) isn't worth it. It's just that I don't think it has that strong of an audience (like Avatar!). (Also why is Hobbit 3 movies? I'm sure that when Peter Jackson said he wanted to split it into 3 movies, New Line just saw dollar signs in their eyes and said, "Yeah and make it 3 hours long while you're at it!")
I also do not understand why people are saying "Disney needs to catch up!" that makes no sense, these are the same people who complain about Disney buying other companies' intellectual property instead of creating their own. You can't have it both ways, it's one or the other. I am glad Disney passed on the property because quite honestly, they have better things to do with their time and money (Cars Land baby!).
Sorry if I was a bit pessimistic on this post.
Personally, I think LOTR is a better fit for Universal as opposed to Disney. People associate more whimsical conflict with Disney, and LOTR can come across as a little too dark.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Hobbit, I can see where they're going with stretching out the book over 3 movies, particularly in the way they [spoiler]
set up the whole necromancer story line as another lead-in to LOTR. If you recall from the book, the conflict with the necromancer is only alluded to, with later works clarifying the necromancer's role in the state of Middle Earth at the start of LOTR. I would be disappointed if that story thread had been left out as it has been a point of curiosity for me since I first read the book.
On the other hand, thank Jebus they left Tom Bombadil out...Sheesh!
[/spoiler]
Hey Zaboath, I just wanted to say that I agree with you that Universal is just a better fit for LOTR. I love Disney and I believe they could have done something great with it but also, you're right, Disney is just more whimsical.
Delete