Once and Future

Something odd and wondrous is happening. Something "wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey," as a certain Doctor might put it. Recently, I shared with Hawk the Disney version of The Sword in the Stone. Naturally, he loved it, as it involves Knights and Wizards and Beasts. And only a couple of days ago, in his school library, Hawk spotted a golden-covered copy of T.H. White's The Once and Future King, pointing out that it matched the one on my shelf. Next to it were no less than five copies of The Sword in the Stone, which, I explained to Hawk, was the first part of the larger book. "Can we check it out?" he asked. I told him we could, but first we'd have to work through all the other library books we had at home!

I was in eighth grade when my friend Travis showed up with his golden-covered copy of The Once and Future King. I had already consumed The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Prydain and the Dune Chronicles, and feared there was little left in the world worth reading. But here was something with promise.

Once I got into screenwriting, I thought The Once and Future King would make a great epic film or mini-series (no offense to the Camelot musical and film), and it ranked high on my list of dream adaptations to write someday. And now it's back in a new version. As fortune would have it, my friend Brian Sibley has written a six-part dramatization for BBC Radio 4 that airs beginning this Sunday, November 9.

Not so very long ago, in Wellington, my friend Jack (Lord of the Rings tour guide extraordinaire) called me up. His voice was urgent (not that unusual), but also excited (again, typical): our mutual friend, the writer and broadcaster Brian Sibley, was in town. He was staying in the Museum Hotel, and we were to join him for dinner at the hotel's Hippopotamus Restaurant & Bar. I didn't yet own a car, so I quickly cabbed over to the Te Aro district and bounded into the restaurant.

At Hippopotamus Bar & Grill (l-r): Jack, Brian, Ryan.

Brian was in Wellington conducting research and interviews for his (compulsively readable) three-part Official Movie Guide of The Hobbit Trilogy. As locals, Jack and I were keen to supply our intelligence and, of course, glean whatever production secrets Brian might be able to share with two crazy Tolkien fans.

We had a splendid time. Brian proved a true gentleman, sweet and generous, and a gifted conversationalist. Indeed, Jack and I soaked up many tales from Brian's work in radio and film (go check out his entertaining blog). He's one of those warm people who can put you at ease with seemingly no effort at all; it's no wonder he's corresponded with and met a great many of his personal heroes. As we parted, we took some photos together.

I'm not sure what all this synchronicity means, Brian's adaptation and Hawk's excitement and the final Hobbit film and connections made in wonderful Wellington. But as I was preparing this blog, I checked the date on the photos. Exactly three years ago today.

Olórin He Was in the West

Or rather the South, I suppose. No matter. The Hobbit is nigh, and Hawk is ready. He's not alone.

The city is amped for the film's world premiere. Banners of its characters -- Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin, Gollum, Elrond, Galadriel -- wave from the lampposts. Shadowy silhouettes of the Grey Wizard, the 13 dwarves, and their unlikely companion show up in shop windows; their color likenesses appear on Air New Zealand planes. An oversized stamp featuring Bilbo blankets the side of the New Zealand Post building.

Tomorrow perhaps 100,000 or more fans, denizens or wayfarers, will jam the streets outside the Embassy Theatre for the red carpet event and a glimpse of some of the film's stars. We'll be among them.

Over the weekend we visited the Hobbit Artisan Market set up in Waitangi Park. We also visited the Weta Cave, where we picked up a hat for our little Wizard. He's too young yet for the film itself, but it's been a real privilege to witness the proceedings through his eyes. We read the book earlier in the year ("Why does Gollum have only six teeth?"), after visiting the set of Hobbiton in Matamata. He's met a number of the cast and crew, including co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, for whom he recited Bilbo's "My dear Frodo" and the dwarves' song from the teaser trailer. And he's followed Peter's online production diaries. He understands that films are made, and that people make them. I'm okay with that.

Our journey to Wellington, to New Zealand, wasn't entirely unexpected. Certainly, no one knocked on our door and whisked us away in search of ancient gold. But the energy surrounding these films, the national pride, the community, and a young boy's excitement -- all of these are a most welcome surprise. It's a great time to be here.

Here and Back Again

Let me just put this out there: this place is great. And by this place, I mean Wellington. New Zealand. Middle-earth.

On Monday, Jenifer, Hawk, and I attended the Wellington rally to keep the production of The Hobbit here in New Zealand. Joining us were our friends Jack, Aiko, Grant, and Steve (who's neatly summarized the whole affair here), along with several thousand proud Kiwis who came out to proclaim to Warner Bros., an Australian actor's union, and the world their pride in their film industry.

The event took place in Wellington's Civic Square. It's a familiar haunt for Hawk and me, as several times a week we pass through it on our way to the waterfront, each time Hawk delighting in the great "sky ball!"--a globe of silver ferns that hangs over its center. Through the courtyard and over the City to Sea Bridge, where the wide rim of the harbor opens up, where the city itself encircles you in its green water and hillside houses and misty mountains.

It's magic in this spot, and now all the more so for the gathering of filmmakers and fans and everyday folk who understand just how important a certain line of creative work has become. More, much more is on the line than money as Warner Bros. decides whether The Hobbit will be made in New Zealand. I can't imagine anything like this positive, peaceful "rally" happening in the States. Not that people there don't join together to support a cause, but here in New Zealand there's a feeling of ownership, a feeling that film itself is a community enterprise. It's been said many times that the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was made not by a director, nor even a team of filmmakers, but by an entire nation.

Of necessity I've been working almost exclusively on our business (we're only a few weeks away from unveiling our fully operational website). But so far my experiences echo what I've been hearing and continue to hear, again at this rally: that the film industry in Wellington--an industry whose technical infrastructure, indeed its pounding heart, was largely built by Sirs Peter and Richard--is what Hollywood was in its early days. The dream is alive here, where filmmakers are knighted national treasures and joyfully lead a people's collective longing to create something great.

UPDATE 28 October: The Hobbit stays! Check The Noldor Blog for details.

THE HOBBIT Is Go!

The upcoming two-part production of The Hobbit has at last been given the green light. My buddy Jack over at The Noldor Blog has posted the full press release, which confirms that Sir Peter Jackson will direct the prequel to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy beginning in February 2011. Though it doesn't say so, presumably the filming will take place here in New Zealand. There's still a labor dispute and MGM, the international distributor, is teetering on the brink of the abyss. But the engines of production will soon be firing (with pre-production going on for some time now), and that's good news for everyone in this country.