*UPDATED* hand header bit finally is into the proximity off year tons affair?

**UPDATE BELOW**I know, I know. We've been reporting on The Hobbit being stuck on movie island with no rescue ship in site for months and months now but it looks as if a deal is close to finally happening between MGM and Warner Brothers regarding the little hariy footed project.Here's the dirt courtesy of the NY Times:

After months of negotiation and delay, Warner Brothers and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are on the verge of an agreement that would allow the director Peter Jackson to begin shooting a two-part version of J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Hobbit” early next year.

Barring further hitches â€" and there have been many, as the studios wrestled with their dual ownership of the project over the last year â€" a financial deal should be in place over the next few days, according to several people who have been involved in the bargaining. They spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing company policies, confidentiality requirements and the delicate nature of the dealings.

Click HERE to read the rest.Alright. So it looks like a deal is going to finally get made. I hope it does because I can't wait to post the 500 casting rumors and stories that are sure to follow, not too mention the hundreds of concept art images and set photos of trees. Man, this is gonna be exciting!**UPDATE**Boy this movie is cursed or there is some foul play going on here. Yesterday it was reported that Jackson's New Zealand WETA workshop set, which houses all of the minatures used for his movies like Lord of the Rings and King Kong, went up in smoke. Here's more from Deadline:Now add fire to the latest list of woes which have beset Peter Jackson's pre-production on those back-to-back The Hobbit films. Flames yesterday engulfed his New Zealand workshop set which would have been used for the Tolkien movies. It took 50 firefighters three hours to quell the blaze in Wellington. All that's left now is a burned out warehouse at Jackson's Portsmouth Miniatures Studio wh! ich had been used in the past as a specialist miniatures shooting facility, one of the few in the world, to create special effects for his The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong. Meanwhile, there's still a standoff between New Zealand and Aussie actors unions, joined by SAG and AFTRA and others, and Jackson, New Line, Warner Bros, and MGM. Cursed I'm tellin' ya! This movie is cursed! Source: NY Times

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