Hobbit mockbuster changes its name

Producers of the 'mockbuster' previously known as 'Age of the Hobbits' have now changed its name to 'Clash of the Empires'.

The move comes after a restraining order was granted to Warner Bros and New Line Cinema - makers of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - against The Asylum, the company that have made the action-adventure.

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The Asylum had claimed that it had 'fair use' over the phrase 'hobbit', which refers to an actual human sub-species discovered in Indonesia in 2003 called homo floresiensis.

But California judge Philip Gutierrez thought otherwise.

“Given that Homo Floresiensis received the nickname 'Hobbit' specifically because of its resemblance to Tolkien's fictional hobbits, the Court finds Asylum's argument that its movie is wholly unrelated to Tolkien's work because it is about Homo Floresiensis to be disingenuous,” he said.

So the title has now been changed, but the screenwriter of 'Clash of the Empires' clearly hopes not too much damage has been done.

“Tolkien was my absolute hero when I was growing up,” Eric Forsberg told the Hollywood Reporter. “I’d love to do a film with the Tolkien estate.

“I am sorry that (the movie) has caused such controversy. I only wish his family and his legacy the best (and) would never do anything purposefully to disrespect Tolkien. I hope that the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien smiles down on all of us and isn’t angry with me.”

The Asylum has a wealth of 'mockbusters' in its back catalogue, including 'Snakes on a Train', 'The Da Vinci Treasure' and 'Transmorphers'.