He was, until he passed away. I don't know if he had any say-so in the Hobbit trilogy, though. I suspect not. He was in his 90s at the time and might not hav

He was, until he passed away. I don't know if he had any say-so in the Hobbit trilogy, though. I suspect not. He was in his 90s at the time and might not have been actively working. Now that he's gone, all bets appear to be off.