New Zealand may soon learn what happens when they go against the fellowship of Peter Jackson. Warner Brothers has threatened to leave New Zealand for filming of the two-film Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, due to a dispute with the union Actors’ Equity. Shooting of the two 3-D films was set to begin in February, but Jackson’s production company, Wingnut Films, said in a statement that Warner Brothers is concerned about their $500 million dollar investment. Although Jackson has said he is committed to filming in New Zealand—where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was shot—co-producer Fran Walsh said they are scouting locations in England and could possibly use the Harry Potter studio. More than a thousand film technicians marched through New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, demanding the actors end their dispute over the contract. In a statement last week, New Zealand Actors’ Equity said they wanted to “commence good faith negotiations.”
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