Tolkien's son plans to stop 'The Hobbit'

Christopher Tolkien, the son of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, will attempt to halt production on the upcoming Hobbit prequels, reports The Times.

The 83-year-old is asking for "one last crusade" against the film's producers in his long-running legal battle over money owed for the Lord Of The Rings movies.

Tolkien claims that New Line Cinema owes him £80 million ($157 million) from a film deal that his father signed in 1969 to cover a tax bill.

At a hearing scheduled for June 6, Tolkien will ask a California judge to "terminate" film rights to The Hobbit. Tolkien's lawyer claims studio New Line, which earned around £3 billion from the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, is guilty of "accounting chicanery".