Warner Bros. COO Alan Horn (who also oversees New Line Cinema, which became a part of WB in early 2008) has said that the most probable date for the theatrical release of '
The Hobbit' would be in the fourth quarter of 2012, thus confirming earlier reports (see blu-ray.com,
December 1, 2009). In that case, the theatrical version of the '
Lord of the Rings' trilogy (due out on April 6) could be the only one available on Blu-ray for a long time.
For 'The Hobbit', New Line shares financing rights with MGM/UA, which bought the original rights in 1969; the complication this time around is that MGM could soon sell those rights as part of its restructuring.