By Ryan Parsons | Image property of respective holders, Variety
The Hobbit
While we had a feeling they'd come along, New Line has announced that Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have officially signed on to collaborate on The Hobbit and its sequel with director Guillermo del Toro. If you have been keeping track, you will have noticed that it took the trio four months since Del Toro confirmed he'd direct both films.
Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens for The Hobbit
While one can only guess what the holdup was -- still bad blood? -- the LOTR experts have arrived long before the films planned production in late 2009.
Release dates have been set for 2011 and 2012.
Following the production technique used in Lord of the Rings, Guillermo del Toro will film the two Hobbit films back to back, with the first pic centered on a young Bilbo Baggins swept off by the wizard Gandalf to recover a lost treasure. The sequel deals with the 60-year period between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Unlike LOTR, the films will have involvement from three studios. New Line will oversee development and split the financing with MGM. Warner Bros. will distribute The Hobbit films domestically while MGM handles the international market.
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