BREAKING: Guillermo Del Toro Confirmed for 'The Hobbit' Movies!
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, MGM, New Line, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Brace yourselves, genre geeks, because here's some fantastic news: It's official. Dark fantasy master Guillermo del Toro has been officially signed to direct the Hobbit adaptation(s). Obviously we halfway knew this was coming, but it's great to have the news confirmed: We have a few years to wait, but the two-movie MGM/New Line adaptation of The Hobbit ... will both be "del Toro films." That's just awesome.
According to Variety, Guillermo will actually MOVE to New Zealand for four years to work on the two films. How's that for commitment to a project? Although it's not a done deal, it's expected that producers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens will co-adapt the Tolkien tale together. No word yet on which Lord of the Rings cast members will be invited back for the prequels, but I'm betting we'll soon see Sir Ian donning that wizard's hat again!
And if I could just editorialize for a quick second: Guillermo del Toro has never made a bad movie. And don't say Mimic because that's a really underrated horror flick.









Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-24-2008 @ 8:29PM
Gordon Werner said...
I did not realize that he directed Mimic.
As for The Hobbit ... who is in it from the other LOTR stories other than Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins (it has been decades since I read the Hobbit)
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4-24-2008 @ 8:46PM
NvM said...
Golem plays a pretty big role.
As for Del Toro directing, he would be my second best choice he has shown he can do fantasy and still be mature.
4-24-2008 @ 10:09PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
I'm with you NvM on the "mature fantasy" tip. Look no further than Pan's Labyrinth... dark, freaky, disturbing..yet sweet, innocent and touching. I have complete confidence in del Toro.
As for familiar faces, I believe that's about it in what WE know as the Hobbit--Bilbo, Gollum and Gandalf. But the second film is entirely new, so anybody might show up.
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4-24-2008 @ 11:24PM
Saavik said...
Elrond is in the Hobbit as well.
4-24-2008 @ 10:31PM
MCW said...
As far as the Mimic goes, the opening credits are almost better than the movie. Watch the credits, then watch the movie, and tell me I am not right. The Bug-monsters in Mimic often look ridiculous, and the movie was pretty boring. I haven't seen the sequels yet, maybe they improved on the idea.
I didn't know Hobbit would have to possibly be two movies. As if Lord of the Rings movies weren't long enough as it is. I don't know enough about the Hobbit to understand why it will be two.
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4-24-2008 @ 10:33PM
Joshua said...
(IMO) I think the second movie might be about "bard" I believe he is the one who kills the dragon smog.... the second movie will probably introduce him and summarize whats happining on the outside of the dwarven stronghold. (IMO)
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4-24-2008 @ 10:49PM
Jen said...
Do you suppose we'll get Doug Jones as Thranduil the elf king? Or maybe one of the trolls?
4-24-2008 @ 11:23PM
mikull said...
Why would you defend the Guillermo del Toro? Perhaps you feel the need to? It's easy to have fewer bombs when you've had fewer projects. Sorry, but I gotta say it again: overrated!
Pan's Labyrinth was good, but not as good as the critics would have you believe. Aside from that - Blade II, Hellboy and Mimic make him a "Dark fantasy master"?? Are you fucking kidding me? Ridley Scott is a dark fantasy master. Guillermo's career is young and promising, tops.
Not getting the Hobbit wrong will help -- getting it right is almost easy with the original LOTR creative team standing behind you. Time will tell.
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4-25-2008 @ 1:36AM
Chupacabra said...
I still don't understand why Peter Jackson doesn't just direct it himself, but Del Toro should be great. I just hope he uses the same types of creature models (Orcs, Goblins, Gollum etc.) as the other movies and doesn't try to use the Pan's/Hellboy style. Only like 4 actors need to return for Gandalf, Elrond, Gollum, and probably Saruman.
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4-25-2008 @ 9:48AM
elessar said...
Chupacabra: Jackson is unable to direct because he's currently working with Spielberg on that Tintin project. That is not to say that he won't be involved. He will serve as producer and GDT is eager to have him, Fran Walsh, and Phillipa Boyens help out with the screenplays.
One final correction: The Hobbit itself will not be broken into two parts. The first film will be The Hobbit, while the second film serves as a bridge between The Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy and could probably focus on events from the appendices: the dwarven attempts to reclaim Moria, Aragorn's youth and service in Gondor and Rohan under the name Thorongil, the death of Frodo's parents, Saruman's turn to darkness and discovery of the palantir, etc.
Roles for Ron Perleman and Doug Jones, should they choose to join: Ron could be Thorin, Bard, Beorn, or the voice of Smaug while Dougie could be the Goblin King or one of the trolls.
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4-25-2008 @ 10:49AM
James Noeys said...
"Hellboy" was not a good movie. The preview for "Hellboy II" looks equally as cheesy and stupid. "Pan's Labyrinth" is one of my favorite movies, so I'm definitely a big supporter of del Toro, but he is definitely not flawless. He does make great visuals and really creative sets, monsters, and creatures, so I'm sure that at the very least "The Hobbit" will be a feast for the eyes.
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4-25-2008 @ 12:03PM
Bhist said...
Actually, I'm hearing now that both parts of this film will be based on the Hobbit and not a transition between the Hobbit and LOTR as so many have reported.
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4-27-2008 @ 1:13AM
alexmonty said...
Del Toro has openly admitted that Mimic wasn't the movie he idealized in his mind due to the studio constant interference, that's why he usually comeback to do small independent movies.
The more success he achieves in this big budget money-maker film for the studio, the more liberty he'll have to make his future films the way he wants ("At the Mountains of Madness" or "Saturn and the end of days".
Martin Freeman from the Office would we awesome as Bilbo.
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