This probably won’t be a huge shock to anyone who’s heard about their ongoing legal matters surrounding all things Tolkein (or anyone who suspected THE GOLDEN COMPASS might be a ship-sinking iceberg), but New Line Cinema is officially no longer an independent entity.
While the studio will still exist in some capacity, it will be absorbed by Warner Bros. (New Line was a Time Warner company) and will “maintain its own identity and will continue to produce, market, and distribute movies”, but on a much smaller scale and with the parent studio at the wheel. Honchos Michael Lynne and Bob Shaye (one of the sources of Peter Jackson’s LOTR chagrin) are stepping aside.
New Line existed for 40 years and found its footing as a popular home for alternative, genre and prestige products like NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, CRITTERS and GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, and was later boosted by hits such as THE MASK, SEVEN, BLADE, RUSH HOUR and AUSTIN POWERS before ultimately succumbing to the weight of expensive stiffs that were not Hobbit related.
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