Del Toro to direct Hobbit films

[Hector]

Guillermo del Toro to direct 'The Hobbit' and sequel - Yahoo! News

[misterdroid]

That actually gave me goose bumps... God, I'm a DORK...

[Dave Mc]

They can do LOTR in 3 movies, one per book (and each book actually has two parts) but it takes 2 movies to do The Hobbit? I wasn't expecting that.

[monkey tennis]

Good news, but two books ??
I bet both movies will be 2 1/2 hours plus when released...then three hours when they come out on DVD...then theres the Really Special editions
at 4 hours each. Sometimes I think it would be quicker just to re-read the Books.

[Adam West]

That's good news. I really liked Pan's Labyrinth.

[Vortigern99]

Awesome! It's official! Just a few days ago, del Toro was still saying he was between projects and not officially employed. This is a super-sweet development!

As to it being two films, original reports were that the second film would detail the off-screen events between the end of the Hobbit and the beginning of the Shire part of the LOTR... but now New Line is saying this isn't so. What this probably means is that they're expanding the story to include Gandalf's visit to Dol Guldur to throw the Necromancer (aka Sauron) out of Murkwood. The movie will likely break in the middle of the story -- possibly right before the dwarves barrell into Laketown? -- with a very close detailing of the events of the book.

[Sideshow Spock]

According to this new interview, del Toro says the first film will be The Hobbit (the book being "one self contained film"), and the next will be the next "50 years lost in the narrative."

Sounds good to me. Also glad to hear that Sir Ian and Serkis are likely onboard. Looking at a 2011 and 2012 release.

Guillermo del Toro Chats with TORN About Films! | Hobbit Movie News and Rumors | TheOneRing.netâ„¢ | The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Movie News and Rumors

[toys2cool]

I can't wait,I'm a LOTR freak

[johnmiic]

Hmmmmm, I just finished the Hobbitt last week. There's so much in it for 1 book I thought sure they would spread it out over 2 films. Still, film 2 having must see, virtually new, unseen material sounds good too.

[Vortigern99]

I still don't understand what Jackson and del Toro are thinking for the second film. The earlier redaction by New Line has now been removed from the Yahoo article, and in theonering.net intervew del Toro says that the second movie takes place after the ending of the Hobbit book, but in the 50 years before LOTR. What happens during that time according to Tolkien's own timeline? Err... not much, if anything. So I'm a little confused and bewildered about this.

[Sideshow Spock]

I think that's the whole point.. to take that "not much" (I'll take your word for it), and make it into something. An integral chapter to the overall story, as del Toro says.

[Vortigern99]

How could it be "integral", given that Bilbo sits at home on his treasure, Aragorn wanders the wilderness, Gandalf bides his time waiting for some sign of the Ring and/or Sauron, while Sauron secretly gathers power in the East? There is no conflict here, no story!

[Sideshow Spock]

They'll take what fragments Tolkien supplied for that time period and construct a meaningful story around it that will flow into FOTR. Obviously that will require some innovation and perhaps even deviation from the sitting around doing nothing and wandering around aimlessly parts