Overwrought Down Under: is Bilbo Baggins in the bag?
Sunday, 26 Oct, 2010
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From the chief executive of the country’s tourism organisation to the guys who run the Lord of the Ring tour bus, New Zealand is holding its breath as its government and Warner Brothers battle terms out for filming the $500m The Hobbit.
New Zealand’s tourism industry has been reaping the rewards of director Peter Jackson’s phenomenally successful Lord of the Rings trilogy since 2001 when the first film was released.
And just as it was rubbing its hand at the prospect of Jackson shooting his next film, a dispute over actors’ pay and conditions has threatened this multi-million pound mini industry.
The row has prompted Jackson to suggest he may take his movie elsewhere – possibly even to the UK, where writer JRR Tolkien actually set his stories.
This week makers Warner Brothers are meeting with New Zealand prime minister John Key and economic development minister Gerry Brownlee in Wellington to try to come to a conclusion about the location.
Meanwhile locals have been rallying for the film to stay in New Zealand, with thousands of protesters in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch dressing up as Tolkien characters and waving placards saying “New Zealand is Middle Earth” in a bid to make an impression on the Hollywood bigshots ar Warner Brothers.
Prime minister Key’s personal intervention in the debate shows the importance to his country of the film. He told New Zealand’s media this week: “I’d love to tell you it’s a done deal, but we’re a long way away from being a done deal. There are a number of issues that we’d need to resolve."
Film New Zealand, which works to encourage film makers to shoot in the destination, said the upheaval has prompted other directors to question New Zealand as a viable destination.
Its chief executive Gisella Carr said: “What we’re fielding at the moment, and others in New Zealand are as well, are questions about ‘hmm, what’s going on? I can see something’s happening, not really sure I understand the detail, but what will it mean for my project?”
Warner Brothers has indicated it will make a decision later this week.
by Dinah Hatch
Dinah
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