In what was the most inevitable (and correct) conclusion to the Hobbit director fiasco, Deadline is reporting Lord of the Rings trilogy helmer Peter Jackson has “decided to direct two installments of The Hobbit.” His deal is currently in negotation “right now with Warner Bros and MGM.” Read the full story

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Since Guillermo Del Toro departed The Hobbit, various names have been banded about as to who will replace him in the director’s chair. One name to almost certainly make you say “Duh!” is Neill Blomkamp. Theonering have received a report, and they emphatically state that this is rumor right now, which says he will be the man to take the reins. Read the full story

According to JoBlo, Warner Bros. Studios and MGM are pushing for Peter Jackson to direct the upcoming film, The Hobbit after Guillermo Del Toro dropped out of the project. We reported yesterday that the studio was looking at David Yates to direct but apparently this is a back-up plan. They are still hoping to get Jackson on board.

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When Guillermo del Toro dropped out of directing The Hobbit just a few weeks ago, most people (including me) were greatly disappointed by his departure. He seemed like the perfect person to go and tackle Middle Earth, with that Pan’s Labyrinth-vision of his.

That plus MGM’s continual fallout, it would seem the project’s lost. But according to Gandalf himself, we can expect to see the movie begin production sooner than we initially thought. [GordonandtheWhale]

Speaking to Australian radio station NovaFM, Mr. Ian McKellen said this:

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Guillermo Del Toro was the perfect director to take on the two-part Hobbit. Very few directors have the dark edge mixed with a knack for blockbuster sensibility. With today’s news that he has left the project, here are ten directors we would love to see take on the this epic blockbuster. Read the full story

Delay after delay after delay after delay after delay after delay has finally led Guillermo Del Toro to step down from the position of director on The Hobbit. He decided to make this decision through Lord of The Rings fansite TheOneRing.net.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life. After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director.”

Peter Jackson also had something to say :

“We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave the Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone’s control – has compromised his commitment to other long term projects. The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him. Guillermo’s strong vision is engrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA”

I’m starting to get the feeling that this movie will probably never actually happen, which I guess is unfortunate but at least it allows Del Toro and Jackson to potentially move on to far more interesting things. Bring on Hellboy 3! Or The Lovely Bones 2…

What do you think about this, can The Hobbit can forward without Del Toro at the helm?

Word has hit the net that The Hobbit has been green-lit for full pre-production by MGM. Read the full story

New Zealand’s Weta digital effects house, that debuted with Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, has already begun pre-production on the sequel to District 9. Read the full story

Having suffered continuous delays, The Hobbit has again been pushed back with Andy Serkis, who provided the voice of Gollum for Lord of the Rings, confirming that production will begin some time later this year. On the red carpet for the Empire Awards, Serkis told Digital Spy that The Hobbit was still going ahead: Read the full story

Not to discredit any of the competitors for Best Supporting Actor, but this award is sewn up and delivered.  Christoph Waltz will win the award for playing the quadrilingual villain from Inglourious Basterds.  From the very beginning of the movie, Waltz put his foot in the award circuit door, switching effortlessly from German to English to French to Italian, etching his name in Quentin Tarantino’s evil-doer hall of fame (presumably in whichever language he chooses). But for fairness sake, let’s look at the other nominees. Read the full story