It was admittedly a weird, penny pinching time, but the fact still remains that until this stuff is done it is *always* fluid.
Yea, we know that as of now LOTR isn't in the plans. What happens next month when Universal decides it's worth the money the Tolkien Estate wants, or what if the Tolkien Estate decides that Universal is the best option for the property in a theme park? All of a sudden the entire ballgame changes.