Source: Moviefone

Over at Moviefone, Producer Peter Jackson gives an update on The Hobbit films, including the supposed “delays” on the project and the delivery of the scripts. Read on to find out more!

Concerning the “delayed” start date for filming The Hobbit, Peter Jackson said:

Well, it’s not really been delayed, because we’ve never announced the date. I mean it’s sort of interesting because the studio [MGM] has never greenlit ‘The Hobbit,’ so therefore ‘The Hobbit’ has never been officially announced as a “go” project, nor have we ever announced a date. But there’s so much interest that people — newspapers and magazines, of their own account, say, ah, it’s likely to film in May, it’s likely to film in June, it’s likely to film in September. People make this stuff up. And then if it’s not filming in June, you get a story saying, “‘The Hobbit’s’ been delayed.” But it’s never actually been announced.

He also had some good news regarding the script:

We’ve just delivered the script. Literally last week, we delivered the second of the two screenplays — the first draft. So the studio’s got both scripts now, which is a milestone; and if anything was holding it up, it was us doing the screenplays, because we’d just been writing as fast as we can, but it took us this long to get them finished. So we take whatever responsibility there is for the speed. And we’re now in the process of budgeting the films, and then hopefully we’ll get to a budget the studio [people] are happy with, and they’ll greenlight the movies and we’ll announce the shooting dates. I’d be pretty optimistic that we’ll be shooting before the end of the year. I would imagine October, November, we’d be shooting by. I’m not announcing it, though.

So, that clears up some things. No start date for filming has been officially announced.

Previously, actors who will most likely be cast in the film have speculated as to when filming will begin. Peter Jackson actually says in the interview that no casting decisions have even been made, since the films have not been officially green-lit.  Thus, no one would actually know when filming begins.

Many film websites (including PCM) were under the impression that Lord of the Rings actors like Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen were already on board, and that a start date was already announced. While Jackson and company do want them to reprise their roles, and of course want to start filming soon, nothing has been made official. So, as I said before, I wouldn’t put much faith in what anyone says about a start date for filming until the films have been officially given the green-light.

But hey, they do have a script! The Hobbit is making progress. I just hope MGM will get a bidder that the debt holders accept very soon. It is likely that filming will not begin on The Hobbit until that happens. But, as Jackson said, he believes if the studio gets a budget they’re happy with, then the films will get the green-light. I’m guessing that, until then, we won’t know for sure when filming will begin or who has been cast in the films.

Head on over to Moviefone to read the rest of the article.