New Line has never paid the Tolkien Trust; Hobbit movie in jeopardy

By Brendon Lindsey
Tags: Lord of the Rings, New Line, The Hobbit

Everyone knows New Line has a history of not paying what’s owed. Hell, it was only this last December that Peter Jackson received his rightful share of the Lord of the Rings trilogy earnings. While that was pretty bad, it wasn’t the first time a director had their portions withheld until someone ordered them paid.

What’s even worse than that? Simple: New Line not paying any of the profit to the Tolkien Trust. The British charity that manages the estate for J.R.R. Tolkien (you know, the guy who wrote the books based on the movies!) has yet to receive a penny from New Line. In other words, New Line has made untold billions off the LotR franchise, yet the owners of said franchise (a charity, nonetheless) have yet to get a dime.

“New Line has brought new meaning to the phrase ‘creative accounting.’ I cannot imagine how on earth New Line will argue to a jury that these films could gross literally billions of dollars, and yet the creator’s heirs, who are entitled to a share of gross receipts, don’t get a penny,” said Bonnie Eskenazi, who represents the trust.

In addition to suing New Line for $150 million, the Tolkien Trust is also asking the court to cease the production of the upcoming movie, The Hobbit.

Basically, if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan today sucks.

Like this post? Subscribe to Filmplosion!