A screen adaptation of Tolkien without Jacksons proven depth of understanding of the author, the material, and without his vision of that world and its workings... Is likely to end exactly where every other attemt has: In a failure that completely and totally misses the point, waters it down or renders it into something so trite as to be equivalent to a childs' bedtime fairy tale.

I don't care how much Money Jackson demanded from the LOTR residuals, or how much he demanded from the next project- the LOTR series managed to do what few modern films have: Rallied the spirits and captured the hearts and minds of people while at the same time being a resounding financial success. More amazingly, the appeal of the movies was unbounded by cultural context or age group- something possbly not achieved since the original Star Wars films. While I grew up reading Tolkien, and as I became an adult I deeply respected the mind and moral being that authored those stories... I can only say that Jackson and crews brilliant adaptation of the LOTR series was a feat that quite possibly exceeded the power of the original work, if not the detail.

The studios fight with Jackson and his assemblage of cast, authors and designers over the vast pile of money made by LOTR makes them look like the equivalent of Smaug, sitting corpulently on his pile of wealth ill-gained by looting the brilliant work of the Dwarves. A symbol of what happens when capitalism goes wrong (Cue TBrosz in 5...4...3...2...1).

DL