Book News: Guillermo del Toro Directing The Hobbit

Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 4/29/2008 9:08:00 AM

• Del Toro will direct both The Hobbit and sequel
• Working with Peter Jackson in New Zealand over four years
• Films to be released in 2011 and 2012

At last week’s New York Comic-Con, Guillermo del Toro told fans he’d know this week whether he would be directing the feature film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Now we all know: Variety reports that New Line Cinema April 24 announced that del Toro indeed has signed on to direct The Hobbit as well as a sequel detailing the action during the time period between The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. “Del Toro’s moving to New Zealand for the next four years to work with [Peter] Jackson and his Wingnut and Weta production teams,” Variety said, adding that there’s neither a production start date nor a script. 
“Though no screenplay deal’s been set, it’s expected that the ‘LOTR’ scripting team of Jackson, Walsh, and Philippa Boyens will collaborate with Del Toro. With Del Toro blocking out four years for the project, it’s likely that the studios are aiming at starting shooting next year and releasing the films in late 2011 and 2012,” the publication reports. (For additional info on this story, see In the Bookroom blog).