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Websites for Tolkien fans are being inundated by furious Peter Jackson supporters, following the news he will not be involved in the Lord of the Rings prequel.
The director has announced he will not be working on the The Hobbit, as he is still fighting a lawsuit against the studio New Line, which he alleges owes him money for his work on "The Fellowship of the Ring."
Founder of the website OneRing.net Erica Challis said there was a frenzy of comment and speculation on The Hobbit issue and she had not seen so many people in the website's chatroom in years.
Ms Challis said most fans cannot imagine Middle Earth without Jackson.
- NEWSTALK ZB