Guillermo Del Toro to Direct "The Hobbit"!

YES! The perfect choice... I know this is sacrilege to some to say this, but I think Del Toro will do a better job than Peter Jackson! WOO HOO! They couldn't have found a better director...

If you don't know Del Toro's stuff, check out the FANTASTIC "Pan's Labyrinth"...

Guillermo Del Toro To Direct The Hobbit?!

So this popped up on Ain't It Cool today...

If Guillermo (Spanish for William:) gets to do this... wow. If you haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth or Hellboy or even Blade II or another of Del Toro's films... go out and watch one. His visual sense is amazing (not to mention his sense of story and characters). He'd rival Jackson as a creator of film worlds (and even Terry Gilliam, if that can be done!).

Here's hoping...

Jackson to Produce "The Hobbit"!

For all you Lord of the Rings Fans...

Relations between Jackson and New Line had soured after "Rings," despite a collective worldwide box office gross of nearly $3 billion — an enormous success. The two sides nevertheless were able to reconcile, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) splitting "The Hobbit" 50/50, spokesmen for both studios said Tuesday.

"I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line," Jackson said in a statement. "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."

Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made. Production is set to begin in 2009 with a released planned for 2010, with the sequel scheduled for a 2011 release.

New Line has had some very bad luck this year, film release wise. "The Golden Compass" won't do as well as expected, and several other films, some very good, have underperformed as well.

"The Hobbit" will be a cash cow... but we have to wait till 2010... I'll be in line!