Senior Editor Jeff Giles, who got an exclusive first look at "The Return of the King," reports in the December 1 cover story, "Hail to the Rings," that the group was ultimately convinced that going over New Line's head to Parsons would only initiate mutually assured destruction between the cast and the studio. They did not send the letter. Instead, they made what New Line executive vice president Mark Ordesky diplomatically calls "a vigorous appeal" to the studio's leadership, telling them that it was difficult to imagine spending the final quarter of 2003 attending press junkets and premieres when some of them really did need to get jobs to make a living.
New Line agreed to create a new bonus pool. Crunching numbers with one of the actors everyone trusted-without any agents at all, and with a lawyer only to type up the agreement-the studio struck a deal for both "The Two Towers" and "Return of the King," paying cast members above and beyond their profit-participation deals, and even awarding the many actors with no deal in place at all. The bonuses restored good will. But sources also tell "Newsweek" that the cast is now auditing the studio. Director Peter Jackson and Miramax, who initiated "The Lord of the Rings" years ago, have teamed up for an audit of their own. New Line's Ordesky, an old friend of Jackson's insists that the studio does not consider the audits confrontational.
"The Return of the King" is the final chapter in what's likely to be a nearly $3 billion franchise that should net the director at least $150 million. Judging from a recent "Newsweek" screening in New Zealand, "Return of the King" is a sure contender for best picture. More than that, it could be the first franchise ever that didn't, at the end of the day, let audiences down-either because of laziness, pretension, greed or other phantom menaces. Giles says "Return" is the most ambitious installment of the trilogy, delivering spectacular battle sequences with visually and emotionally arresting moments throughout the film.
And despite the question over salaries, Jackson is delighted with New Line's financial commitment to the making of "Return of the King." "On the first two films," he tells Newsweek, "we always had to do a dog-and-pony show in order to get more money to do [special] effects shots. They wouldn't approve the money until we showed them the movie in whatever state it was in, and we had to have big story meetings with them to justify everything. I think that's perfectly fine. That's what you expect to do. But this time around, they're basically saying, 'Listen, whatever you want to do, we're going to support you.' I mean, it's possible that at the moment, I'm experiencing the greatest freedom I'm ever going to have."
With the journey over, Orlando Bloom, who plays the elf Legolas, tells "Newsweek" about the emotional end of filming. "I was definitely welled up, man," he says. "I was choked. I was suddenly reminded of how lucky I was to be a part of this process and how much it changed me - Viggo being a real mentor to me, and Peter being this incredibly amazing, visionary director. They cut together a little gag reel. It was, like, four minutes of all these different Leggy moments from the whole shoot and outtakes and stuff. It was hilarious! It had all this '80s music. You know that song 'Hungry Eyes'? 'One look at you and I touch the sky?' They had this homoerotic thing where they had a shot of Viggo pulling out his sword and looking at me, and me looking at him and drawing my bow. It was brilliant, man."
And Liv Tyler who plays Arwen, the elven princess, recalls the first time she realized the impact the trilogy had on people. "I was staying with some friends in England, and it was New Year's," she says, by email. "My husband, Roy, and I were sleeping, and I woke to the sound of our friends' two little boys. They were going around the bedrooms opening the doors and looking in. When they got to our door, one little boy went to open it and the other said, 'No! Don't open that door. The princess is sleeping in there.' It made my heart leap out of my chest. I think that was the first time I really realized the impact these films had on people."
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"LOTR: The Return of the King" Photo Gallery
"LOTR: The Return of the King" Trailer, News and Websites
