Guillermo Del Toro to Direct "The Hobbit" Movies
April 25, 2008

After months of fragile developments and several reports of who might be replacing Peter Jackson behind the lens for the two-part big screen adaptations of The Hobbit, it was officially announced that Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth director, Guillermo Del Toro will be stepping behind the camera to helm the film version of the highly anticipated J.R.R. Tolkein classic.

According to New Line Cinema and MGM, Del Toro will be packing up shop and moving to New Zealand for the next four years to assist Peter Jackson, the producer of the film, in bringing both The Hobbit movies to life on the silver screen. Filming on the project won’t be getting underway until 2009, with the first Hobbit film slated for release in 2010 and the second tentatively scheduled for a 2011 release.

New Line also announced that The Hobbit and its sequel will be shooting back-to-back like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. After a tumultuous legal battle almost killed The Hobbit in late 2007, Rings fans can now take comfort in knowing the project is in good hands with Guillermo Del Toro.

So much for another Hellboy movie any time soon after the release of this year’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army.