Ian Mckellen and Stephen Fry Save Pub

It seems as though Gandalf is already coming to rescue and The Hobbit movie has not even been released yet! Hobbit news hit headlines this past week when a small pub in Southampton was threatened by legal action from Saul Zaentz Company for copyright infringement. The pub has been around for years and is a popular place that features music and drinks named after the Tolkien books.

Once word got out publicly, there was a social network flurry of people demanding to keep this pub open. Even within our accounts, we received hundreds of emails and pings, despite this situation having nothing to do with us! We too see it as unfortunate when people who wish to celebrate and enjoy Tolkien’s characters are slapped with legal action. The potential consequences could have put the pub out of business.

Word got to both Gandalf and Stephen Fry of the unfortunate incident, and they immediately responded. Mckellen’s business manager phoned the owner of the pub to inform her that Mckellen and Fry wanted to pay the licensing fee for the pub to keep it open. They additionally said that they would like to visit the pub after filming as it looked like a fun place. Honestly, it does not get much better than Fry and Mckellen.

The owner of the pub is grateful for their generosity, but is holding back excitement until the deal is inked. There are still plenty of variables remaining that could cause a shake up for the pub, but thanks to Mckellen and Fry, there is a fresh start!