New Line Chief Blasts Peter Jackson

[Brian Damage]

Bob Shaye may have intended to talk about his new movie, but after his rant against Peter Jackson, it's doubtful that anybody is writing about "The Last Mimzy" today.

Speaking to Scifiwire, New Line's co-chairman left little doubt about his feelings for the "Lord of the Rings" director and, more importantly, the odds of Jackson directing a possible "Hobbit" film for New Line.

"I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore," Shaye said. "He wants to have another $100 million or $50 million, whatever he's suing us for. He doesn't want to sit down and talk about it. He thinks that we owe him something after we've paid him over a quarter of a billion dollars. ... Cheers, Peter."

Shaye, director of "The Last Mimzy," continued, "I do not want to make a movie with somebody who is suing me. It will never happen during my watch."

Shaye was responding to an open letter sent by Jackson to TheOneRing.net fan site back in November claiming that New Line had frozen the "Lord of the Rings" production team out of the "Hobbit" adaptation as the director and production partner Fran Walsh pursued legal action against the New Line alleging unpaid profits from the Oscar-winning trilogy.

Shaye took issue with that as well.

"There's a kind of arrogance," Shaye told Sci-Fi Wire. "Not that I don't think Peter is a good filmmaker and that he hasn't contributed significantly to filmography and made three very good movies. And I don't even expect him to say 'thank you' for having me make it happen and having New Line make it happen. But to think that I, as a functionary in [a] company that has been around for a long time, but is now owned by a very big conglomerate, would care one bit about trying to cheat the guy ... he's either had very poor counsel or is completely misinformed and myopic to think that I care whether I give him [anything]."

In a statement reported Thursday (Jan. 11) in The Hollywood Reporter, Jackson tried to sound diplomatic.

"Fundamentally, our legal action is about holding New Line to its contractual obligations and promises," Jackson says. "It is regrettable that Bob has chosen to make it personal. I have always had the highest respect and affection for Bob and other senior management at New Line and continue to do so."

Now what the heck is "The Last Mimzy," again?