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Entertainment Weekly
August 20, 1999Three 'Rings' Binder
Ty Burr
Hell hath no fury like a mass cult scorned.
I'm not talking about the Church of Scientology's reaction to
the parodic MindHead religion in Steve Martin's ''Bowfinger'' (or, for that matter, about
the Church of Scientology's reaction to anything). I'm talking instead about the
armadas of online fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy as they stomp
noisily around the prospect of a filmmaker putting their beloved myth onto celluloid.
Here's the deal: Peter Jackson, the clever and gifted New
Zealand director of movies like ''The Frighteners'' and ''Heavenly Creatures'' has signed
on with New Line Pictures to film the classic Tolkien trilogy. In three live-action
installments. The first of which won't hit theaters until late 2001.
The Internet, of course, is already in an uproar. Webmasters
are smiting each other hither and thither to mount the best unofficial site. Ain't It Cool
News was the locus of an early fracas over New Line's reluctance to engage with the fans,
quelled only when director Jackson submitted to an interview and studio exec Mike DeLuca
posted his own e-mail address for ''Ring'' follower use and abuse. Bulletin-board
discussion over casting has been particularly testy, with some folks happy with the
choices to date (Elijah Wood as Frodo, Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Ian Holm as Bilbo, Pauly
Shore as Gollum -- JUST KIDDING) and some trembling with rage.
New Line, for its part, is making extra-special nice,
possibly remembering how hammered Paramount was for its heavyhanded tactics against
unofficial ''Star Trek'' sites. In addition to Jackson and DeLuca prostrating themselves
before Harry Knowles, the studio has already launched an official site and has announced
that that site will work with and incorporate the best of the fansites.
Which leaves a doubter like me wondering: Who, when all is
said and done, owns a story? Obviously, in this case, Tolkien does, but he's kind of busy
being dead. Given that, shouldn't Jackson be trusted to make whatever creative choices he
wants without the threat of a million fans excoriating him in fluent Elvish? If nothing
else, he probably can't do worse than the awful version of ''LOTR'' (or half of it,
anyway) that Ralph Bakshi animated back in 1978.
The Web's ga-ga response to ''The Phantom Menace'' coupled
with the still-raw anger over the treatment of the unofficial ''Star Trek'' sites has had
the result of empowering fans in ways that were unthinkable a mere two years ago. In many
aspects, that's to the good. But where do fans' rights end? At the line separating
appreciation from creation? Or beyond? If some Tolkien lovers are so incensed over what
New Line may be doing to this story, what prevents them from getting a camera and filming
it themselves?
Well, that's easy: They probably don't have $100 million to
throw around. But in that case, what prevents them from shutting up and letting Peter
Jackson do his job? |