New Zealand sweetens deal to keep Hobbit
A short-lived union boycott prompted Warner Bros representatives to travel to New Zealand this week to review the studio’s decision to shoot Peter Jackson’s two-part adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy in New Zealand.
Fearing the loss of the project, worth an estimated $500m (€362.7m), and damage to the reputation of New Zealand’s fledgling film industry, Prime Minister John Key stepped in, negotiating a deal to keep the project that was announced yesterday.
