Tolkien's estate sues New Line Cinema

Washington, Feb 12 : Author J.R.R. Tolkien's estate is taking New Line Cinema to court and is trying to terminate the studio's rights to any of his works.

Several reasons have been given for the lawsuit by the estate - a British charity called the Tolkien Trust - and the author's original publisher, HarperCollins, including "accounting chicanery".

This means that the two bodies are accusing the studio of inflating the cost of each film in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy by more than 100 million dollars and refusing to allow an audit of the second and third films in the "Rings" series.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Tolkien Trust and HarperCollins claim that New Line and Peter Jackson's Katja Motion Picture Group owe them at least 150 million dollars in gross profits.

"This case presents an extraordinary example of how enormous financial success can breed unabashed and insatiable greed. Despite the nearly billion in gross revenues, New Line has crafted a fantasy tale of its own, making the stunning assertion that it has not received sufficient money to pay plaintiffs a dime," the website quoted the lawsuit, as stating.

The lawsuit, filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, may put two new movie versions of "The Hobbit" in trouble.

ANI