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Guillermo Del Toro in Talks to Direct The Hobbit

Source:  The Hollywood Reporter
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Guillermo del Toro may be getting ready to enter Middle Earth as the Spanish director is in talks to direct The Hobbit and The Hobbit Sequel.

His success in the fantasy genre (Pan's Labyrinth) as well as his grasp of the fanboy culture was what put him on a short list of directors to take over the project. No writer has been hired as of yet, due to the writers strike.

Peter Jackson was originally set to write and direct, but the project was shelved due to his dispute over financial reasons. Jackson is now on board as executive producer.

The films will shoot back-to-back, with shooting tentatively set to commence in 2009, with the first film to hit theaters in 2010, and the second to follow in 2011.


18 Comments


The Fallen's Profile
The Fallen
January 29th, 2008 1:18pm
wow. so this is wat it's come to. dam i hate this. del toro is a awsome director but p.j. brought us lotr like no one else had the guts to. now that peter pulled it off and made money and fame other directors want in. pj directs the hobbit or no hobbit!!!!!!!!!!! and if del toro, raimi, or any other director wants to direct the hobbit besides pj than it will suck.!!!
  (Delete)
Comrade's Profile
Comrade
January 29th, 2008 9:09am
I'm excited for Del Toro to adapt Tolkien's work. One of the greatest storytellers of the last century meets one of the greatest of ours.
Yes, I know we're only 8 years in, but the blk of Del Toro's notable work has been done post-2000.
  (Delete)
AnnoyingFilmCritic's Profile
AnnoyingFilmCritic
January 28th, 2008 4:39pm
Del Toro is the best replacement since Jackson isn't directing due to his other lined up projects. Pan's Labyrinth was great.
  (Delete)
DarkTower19's Profile
DarkTower19
January 28th, 2008 3:45pm
Hmmm...he's a great director, yes, but is he a fan of the book? That is the all important question.
  (Delete)
Phatlightning's Profile
Phatlightning
January 28th, 2008 3:45pm
gonna have to go with BB and killa, Jackson is middle earth, del toro is middle mexico
  (Delete)
Ranting Rick's Profile
Ranting Rick
January 28th, 2008 3:34pm
I think the one guy I'd be happy taking on the directer's chair besides Peter Jackson would be Guillermo del Toro. I hope it works out.
  (Delete)
dcrock's Profile
dcrock
January 28th, 2008 3:01pm
There have been movies that had sequels with different directors that were awesome.Think alien and aliens.both were awesome in different ways with different directions taken.The hobbit is so different than lotr.Yes it's middle-earth but i agree with hyperion25 in that the tone is totally different and so it needs a new director regardless.PJ is executive producer so it'll still have a same feel.Just a different tone and direction.Which in my opinion is good.All depends on the script.
  (Delete)
killahmovie24's Profile
killahmovie24
January 28th, 2008 1:54pm
uhhh comradehenson i can read perfectly well thank you i just thought the movie blew, besides the sets and costumes the movie did nothing for me, yes he has a creative mind and the hobbit may be a diffrent kind of movie but P.Jackson brought this story to life and i FEEL as if he should be the one that take us back to middle-earth, so dont diss me just because i didnt like pan's labryinth and thought it blew fawn penis ;-)
  (Delete)
Brian's Profile
Brian
January 28th, 2008 1:47pm
Jackson IS Middle-earth. Nuff said.
  (Delete)
Comrade's Profile
Comrade
January 28th, 2008 1:33pm
killahmovie24, you didn't like it because you can't read.
  (Delete)
Comrade's Profile
Comrade
January 28th, 2008 1:32pm
Yeah he's doing Frankenstein, he just can't start writing it till the strike's over.
  (Delete)
Aficionado's Profile
Aficionado
January 28th, 2008 12:25pm
What about Frankenstien? He's still doin that, isn't he? Frankenstien'll be his King Kong, and this can be his Lord of the Rings.
  (Delete)
ohallo2's Profile
ohallo2
January 28th, 2008 12:22pm
Awesome. I personally refer to Del Toro as "the mexican Peter Jackson" so obviously he was my second choice, after Jackson.
  (Delete)
hyperion25's Profile
hyperion25
January 28th, 2008 12:18pm
I think this will be awesome if he gets on board. Jackson is great and all but The Hobbit is very different from Lord of the Rings, completely different tone. Del Toro does fantasy very well.
  (Delete)
killahmovie24's Profile
killahmovie24
January 28th, 2008 10:43am
pan's labyrinth blew fawn penis, this dudes over rated they should cut a fatter check to p.jackson and get him in the director's chair
  (Delete)
Brian's Profile
Brian
January 28th, 2008 10:31am
Ugh. Del Toro rules, but come on....without Jackson's style, this isn't gonna be up to par. Sorry.
  (Delete)
Josh's Profile
Josh
January 28th, 2008 10:22am
My god, yes!
  (Delete)
The Kwisatz Haderach's Profile
The Kwisatz Haderach
January 28th, 2008 10:07am
Hell yeah, much better choice than Rami, love Guillermo del Toro's work, and his fantaasy is top notch! I want to see the Battle of the 5 Armies so bad!
  (Delete)
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