Del Toro doubles up to direct big-screen "Hobbit"
By Borys Kit


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Guillermo del Toro is in talks to direct back-to-back installments of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," which is being co-financed by New Line and MGM.
Del Toro's name was on a short list of directors who could tackle the project, one of the most anticipated literary adaptations of the past decade. An ill-chosen director for "Hobbit" could put billions of dollars at stake for New Line and MGM and could turn off an audience that encompasses millions of passionate readers, Tolkien fans and obsessive geeks.

Few filmmakers have the cachet that del Toro has, as well as a deep love for the source material, an assured grasp of fantasy filmmaking and an understanding and command of geek culture as well as its respect. Del Toro has built that goodwill through such films as the Oscar-nominated "Pan's Labyrinth," "Hellboy," "Blade 2" (which was made by New Line) and "The Devil's Backbone."

For New Line, making "Hobbit" had become a priority in the wake of its billion-dollar success with the Oscar-winning "Lord of the Rings" movies, which were co-written and directed by Peter Jackson. Jackson wanted to adapt "Hobbit," but when he got into a dispute with the studio over profit participation, the project went into limbo; neither New Line nor MGM, both rights-holders to the film, wanted to risk alienating fans of the trilogy by making an adaptation that didn't have Jackson's involvement.
The December resolution of the Jackson suit, facilitated by MGM CEO Harry Sloan, paved the way for "Hobbit" to get back on the road to the screen. However, because of other commitments that included "The Lovely Bones" and "Tintin," Jackson could not take on writing and directing roles, opting instead to become an executive producer with approval over creative elements of the pair of films.

Because of the Writers Guild of America strike, no writer has been hired to adapt Tolkien's children's classic, though that process will be fast-tracked once the strike is resolved. Del Toro and Jackson will oversee "Hobbit's" writing.

Principal photography for the films, which will be shot simultaneously, is tentatively set for 2009. The production budget is estimated at $150 million per film. The release of the first film is slated for 2010 and the second for 2011.

"Hobbit," which Tolkien initially wrote for his children, was published in the U.K. in 1937 to wide acclaim. It centered on Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who joins a group of dwarves and the wizard Gandalf on a quest to find the treasure of a dragon named Smaug. Tolkien went on to write "The Lord of the Rings" 17 years later.

Del Toro is putting the finishing touches on Universal's summer release "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" and recently produced the critically acclaimed ghost story "The Orphanage."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

An ill-chosen director for "Hobbit" could put billions of dollars at stake for New Line and MGM and could turn off an audience that encompasses millions of passionate readers, Tolkien fans and obsessive geeks.

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He explained: "It's the only Tolkien book I read. I tried my best to read the Lord of the Rings, the trilogy. I could not. I could not. They were very dense.

"And then one day, I bought The Hobbit. I read it and I loved it. So it would be a privilege. But listen, I wish I knew."

Peter Jackson and New Line had been involved in a long-running dispute regarding royalties generated from the hugely successful fantasy trilogy but a statement issued by the studio this week confirmed the Kiwi - and partner Fran Walsh - is to executive produce two films based on The Hobbit.

The first is thought to be a straight adaptation of the book and should hit the screen in 2010 while the second could serve as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, using Tolkien's lengthy appendices as source material.

Del Toro explained that the idea of working with the creative talents of Jackson, Walsh, and their long-term special effects partners Weta Digital, was a mouthwatering prospect.

"I met Peter and Fran when we were trying to do Halo. I think what they're doing in New Zealand is amazing," he said.

"What they're doing, in terms of the way they approach filmmaking — the way I see it is, it's Hollywood the way God intended it.

"Because it's a filmmaker's dream and a filmmaker's facility. So it's heaven. The question is: Will I go to heaven? I have no idea."

There is a lot of buzz in the Tolkien community with the news yesterday that Del Toro was in ‘talks’ to direct the two ‘Hobbit’ films. Unfortunately a majority of the buzz is a case of bad reporting - as many have taken the title from the Hollywood Reporter article (’Del Toro doubles up for ‘Hobbit”) as an official announcement. However, read the first sentence and we see he is not confirmed, only in ‘talks.’ Now another rumor has surfaced that Del Toro has verbally confirmed he will be directing both films during a screening of his new movie ‘The Orphanage.’ This news has surfaced on a French Tolkien website, which may be another case of lost in translation! So is it Del Toro or What? We don’t know - but we’re working hard to find out. If anything has been officially said by Del Toro we probably can expect announcement pretty soon! [Original Hollywood Reporter Article] [First Del Toro Rumor] [More Confirmation Rumors]

De passage à Paris pour la promotion de L'Orphelinat de Juan Antonio Bayona que Del Toro produit, le réalisateur mexicain nous a répondu avec sa gentillesse et sa bonne humeur légendaire :

« Réaliser Bilbo le Hobbit ? Ca va se faire ! » nous dit-il avec un large sourire. « Il y a encore quelques détails à définir, mais j’espère que ça va se faire ! Ce seront bien deux films qui sortiront aux alentours de 2011 et 2012. »
Du coup les autres projets qu’on lui accorde semblent en retrait, notamment la réalisation du dernier chapitre de la saga Harry Potter : « Je ne sais pas encore quelle tournure cela va prendre, mais Bilbo le Hobbit va m’occuper pendant 4 ans et je doute que Warner attende autant de temps pour finir Harry Potter ! »