The Hobbit in July 2007?

[Essex]

And if Serkis and Ian refuse to go with the new director, which is a definite possibility, I can't see people turning out to see the film.

Sorry, but I can't see this being the case. If it's a useless film, then fair enough it will not do as well as the LOTR trilogy, but having different actors as Gandalf and Gollum? Why would this drive people away from the movie? I would like both actors to be in the film, but if they are not, then I (and many others I reckon) will put up with it. The best character in the Harry Potter books (dumbledore) was replaced in the films half way through because of the death of an actor - and come on, dumbledore is a bit of a copy of Gandalf - and that worked ok. I didn't see much of a backlash with people not seing the next installment once a new actor came in to play dumbledore.....