By October, he and his partner Fran Walsh teamed up with Miramax Films boss Harvey Weinstein to negotiate with Saul Zaentz who had held the rights to the book since the early 1970s, pitching an adaptation of The Hobbit and two films based on The Lord of the Rings.
Pada Oktober, dia dan Fran Walsh bergabung dengan bos Miramax Films Harvey Weinstein untuk bernegoisasi dengan Saul Zaentz yang mempunyai hak untuk bukunya sejak awal 1970-an, mem-pitch sebuah adaptasi The Hobbit dan dua film berdasarkan The Lord of the Rings.