Guillermo Del Toro to Direct Hobbit Films
January 28, 2008

It's a fan boy's dreams come true. Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo Del Toro is in talks to direct the two planned installments of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, which will be produced by Oscar winner Peter Jackson and co-financed by New Line and MGM. I know. Stop drooling. Guillermo Del Toro's name was mentioned when the olive branch was finally extended between Jackson and New Line, which meant that these projects could go forward. Jackson was in a dispute with New Line over profit participation after the success of The Return of the King in 2003, which has delayed the project, putting The Hobbit into limbo. But after a few failures for New Line, they had to get Jackson back on board before they could move forward with the almost-guaranteed cash cow that will be The Hobbit.

The suit between Jackson and Del Toro closed in December and MGM CEO Harry Sloan moved forward but Jackson had other commitments. He needs to film The Lovely Bones and Tintin, which would mean writing and directing The Hobbit would be delayed for years, something New Line can't afford right now. Peter Jackson will executive produce both films and have creative control over certain elements of the film.

The big problem now is a script. With the writer's strike, no writer has been or can be hired to script the two films of The Hobbit. It's unclear if Del Toro or Jackson will be involved in the writing but Reuters reports that they will "oversee" it. They also report that principal photography will begin in 2009 and both films will be shot simultaneously. They also note that the budget is estimated at $150 million a film and that the first one is scheduled for 2010 and the second for 2011.

The Hobbit was published in the U.K. in 1937 and is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, telling the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures with the wizard Gandalf trying to find the treasure of a dragon named Smaug. The Lord of the Rings moved the story from Bilbo to Frodo 17 years later.

The 43-year-old Guillermo Del Toro reached a new level of acclaim in 2006 with his masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth. He's putting the finishing touches on Hellboy II: The Golden Army and recently produced The Orphanage. He might also make 3993 or At the Mountains of Madness before he goes into The Hobbit. For other Del Toro films on DVD, check out Cronos, Mimic, The Devil's Backbone, Blade II, and Hellboy.

(Source: Reuters.)