Del Toro To Direct 'The Hobbit'

VFX World ^

[maquiladora]

PAN'S LABYRINTH director Guillermo del Toro has signed on to direct THE HOBBIT and its sequel for New Line-MGM, per VARIETY.

This is a major step forward for the LORD OF THE RINGS prequels, which had been held up in litigation for several years.

The announcement came Thursday from executive producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, New Line president Toby Emmerich and Mary Parent, chief of MGM's Worldwide Motion Picture Group.

Del Toro will move to New Zealand for four years to work with Jackson and his Wingnut and WETA production teams, directing the two films back to back. The sequel deals with the 60 year time period between THE HOBBIT and THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING and will draw from source material and footnotes.

New Line is overseeing development and will manage production. Both films will be co-produced and co-financed by New Line Cinema and MGM. Warner Bros. will distribute domestically and MGM will distribute internationally.

PAN'S LABYRINTH, nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Screenplay (Del Toro), is the highest grossing Spanish-language film release in U.S. box office history. It was released through New Line's Picturehouse.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

I’m interested in how they show the transformation of Saruman from hero and the White Wizard head of the White Council into Sauron’s dupe. Will it be a sudden surprise, or more subtle. Of course Gandalf doesn’t know until the hobbits leave the Shire.

[Mamzelle]

re: Uhhh ... what sequel? Bilbo returning home and living quietly for 60 years? That's how I remember the story.)))

Well--during those years the story of Aragorn would be interesting--he would be a child in Rivendell and a young man about Middle Earth. Also, Sauron was coming to power and Gollum imprisoned and searchiing for the lost ring.