Or no Hobbits at all...

[William Cloud Hicklin]

....That, among other things, led to the rift between father and son.

Oh, no. The rift went back years and years, although the press coverage at the time took that angle, and Simon's original interview was craftily phrased to allow unwitting journalists to assume what was not actually said. Even PJ confirms that at the time he first met Simon in 1998 he and his father hadn't been on speaking terms for a long time. This has everything to do with the unhappy relationship between a father and the child of his first marriage, and little or nothing to do with movies.

That to my mind doesn't excuse Simon airing the family's dirty laundry in an effort to peddle his own book. (Incidentally, Simon isn't 'disinherited': he still gets his cut.)


In any event, 'steering' was never a realistic option- PJ and/or New Line were *only* interested in being able to trumpet the Estate's 'seal of approval' for marketing purposes.