| POSTED: 5:12 p.m. EST, January 11, 2007
Story Highlights
• New Line exec Bob Shaye angry at Peter Jackson
• "I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore," Shaye says
• Jackson has sued over "Lord of the Rings" accounting
LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- An escalation in the war of words between New Line co-chairman Bob Shaye and "Lord of the Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson appears to be nixing any possible reconciliation between the two -- or any chance that Jackson will direct the trilogy's prequel, "The Hobbit."
In an interview with the Sci Fi Channel news service Sci Fi Wire, Shaye said Jackson will never make another movie for the studio and said the filmmaker just wants more money.
"I don't care about Peter Jackson anymore," Shaye said. "He wants to have another $100 million or $50 million, whatever he's suing us for. He doesn't want to sit down and talk about it. He thinks that we owe him something after we've paid him over a quarter of a billion dollars. ... Cheers, Peter."
In response, Jackson issued a statement Tuesday that did not attack Shaye but aimed at clarifying his issue with New Line. Jackson said the lawsuit stems from the studio's refusal to account for financial anomalies that surfaced from a partial audit of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" and that it has denied his repeated requests to audit "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King."
"Fundamentally, our legal action is about holding New Line to its contractual obligations and promises," Jackson said. "It is regrettable that Bob has chosen to make it personal. I have always had the highest respect and affection for Bob and other senior management at New Line and continue to do so."
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