Sam Raimi to Direct 'Drag Me to Hell' AND (probably) 'The Hobbit' (!!!)

If, like me, you really dug the Spider-Man trilogy, but still held out some hope that director Sam Raimi would one day return to his low-budget horror stomping grounds, well, I've got some pretty excellent news. No, it's not a sequel to (or remake of) The Evil Dead ... but it does sound pretty promising. According to Variety, Mr. Raimi will direct Drag Me to Hell for his Ghost House production shingle, from a screenplay written by Raimi and his big brother Ivan. According to the director's long-time collaborator Robert Tapert, "Sam calls it a 'spook-a-blast,' a wild ride with all the chills and spills that 'Evil Dead' delivered, without relying on the excessive violence of that film."

Plus there's (yet another) off-hand reference to the (eventually) impending Evil Dead remake. So overall, that's some pretty excellent news if you're a horror fan. But just as I was finishing up the article, my eyeballs became krazy-glued to the following passage:

"After "Drag Me to Hell," Raimi is expected to go right back up the mountaintop and take the helm of "The Hobbit" films for New Line and MGM now that Peter Jackson has made it clear he won't direct." (The bold-face is mine.)

Boom! I know it's been mumbled about for a few months now, but is that like ... official? (One might expect news like that to warrant its very own article, that's all I'm saying.) But dang. Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson working together?? On The Hobbit? Oh dear lord that sounds freaking awesome. Nobody pinch me.