“Is Peter Jackson’s Hat in the ‘Hobbit’ Ring?”
By now, you’ve not doubt heard that Guillermo del Toro has left “The Hobbit”. So who’s in line to direct the movie? Could it be Peter Jackson:
As the producers of “The Hobbit” undertake the very gloomy business of seeking a new director for the film adaptation of that J. R. R. Tolkien fantasy novel, they may have a potential replacement candidate in their midst who already knows a thing or two about translating Tolkien’s texts to the big screen: Peter Jackson, an executive producer and screenwriter on “The Hobbit.”
In an interview with The Dominion Post of New Zealand, Mr. Jackson, the Academy Award-winning director of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, said that if necessary he would step in as director of “The Hobbit,” pending his commitments to other films.
Over the weekend, the filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) said he was withdrawing as director of “The Hobbit,” citing the continued delays of its start of production. The film is planned to be released in two parts in 2012 and 2013 by MGM, which put itself up for sale last year and is still seeking buyers.
Would have loved to see what del Toro would have done directed “The Hobbit.” But for a ‘second’ choice, Jackson ain’t too shabby.