SourceJRR Tolkien's estate to sue New Line Cinema over Lord of the Rings trilogy profits
By Tom Chivers and agencies
Last Updated: 1:58pm GMT 12/02/2008
A new battle of Middle-Earth is looming as the estate of The Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien prepares to sue the makers of the film trilogy based on his books.
The Tolkien Trust, the charity which represents the estate of the late author, claims that New Line Cinema agreed to pay it 7 per cent of the gross receipts, and is demanding the money. It is also threatening to block a proposed prequel to the films.
The trio of films, released between 2001 and 2003, was wildly successful.
Aside from the critical acclaim and the plethora of Oscars and other awards, the complaint claims that they have grossed over $6 billion (£3.07 billion) worldwide through box office receipts and DVD and merchandising sales.
However, the suit filed by the Trust claims that, apart from $62,500 (£32,000) paid upfront before production began, "not one penny" has changed hands.
The plaintiffs are seeking more than $150 million (£76 million) in damages, as well as a court order allowing the Tolkien Trust to terminate any rights New Line has on other works by the author.
This would have dire implications for New Line's biggest upcoming project - a two-film prequel based on Tolkien's The Hobbit, which is planned for release in 2010 and 2011.
The director of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson, is signed on as executive producer.
"The Tolkien trustees do not file lawsuits lightly, and have tried unsuccessfully to resolve their claims out of court," Steven Maier, an lawyer for the Tolkien estate, said in a statement.
"New Line has not paid the plaintiffs even one penny of its contractual share of gross receipts despite the billions of dollars of gross revenue generated by these wildly successful motion pictures."
Robert Pini, a spokesman for Time Warner Inc's New Line, declined to comment.
This is not the first time that New Line have been involved in the courts over The Lord of the Rings. Hollywood producer Saul Zaentz claimed the studio failed to pay him $20 million (£10.2 million) in royalties from the film trilogy.
An out-of-court settlement was eventually reached. However, it is believed to have been costly, and New Line will be hoping that they are not making a hobbit of it.
Please excuse me for a moment while I give NL Cinema the finger. Did these guys really think they could get away with not paying what they said they would?
