Chip the glasses and break the plates, that’s what Bilbo Baggins Hates.  Have questionable spending practices on a big budget movie is what the J.R.R. Tolkien Estate hates.

The Tolkien Estate took New Line Cinema to court for fraud claiming that they improperly claimed advertising expenses and improperly claimed expenses for the building of production offices and facilities in New Zealand.

In the suit the Tolkien Estate are seeking monetary damages and are seeking to terminate New Line Cinema’s rights to the Hobbit.  This week a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ruled that there was a legal basis for the claim.

I find this interesting.  First, I wonder if this will bring light to and establish in official record the dirty little practice of padding expenses so that the net percent payout is much lower than it should be.  If it does it may help put that practice to rest.

Secondly,  this means that there might be delays or even canceling of the Hobbit movies.  Though I have had mixed feelings over the direction of the two movies I can say that the idea of seeing it through the direction of Guillermo Del Toro is an exciting prospect.

(via AP)

(image by Playadura*)