After the enormous success of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy of films, a two-part prequel, The Hobbit, was slated to be directed by acclaimed director Guillermo Del Toro. Known for his very artistic and quite eerie style, Del Toro is one of my favorite filmmakers, having directed the classics Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, and The Devil's Backbone.
That is why it is with great sadness that I report that Guillermo Del Toro has pulled out of directing The Hobbit. In a statement given by Del Toro, he stated that:
"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."
It is true that the films have not been greenlit by the studios yet, meaning that financing and pre-production logistics could take quite some time. I can see why Del Toro is hesitant to be apart of a movie that is so unpredictable, because his plate is pretty full at the moment--in the next few years alone he has The Orphanage, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Witches, Pinocchio, Champions, and numerous other projects that he's occupied with. If I had that many film projects to keep track of, I'd do my best to stay clear of unpredictability.
It is a real shame that such a visual and unique director won't be apart of a film adaptation for one of the most beloved stories of all-time. I was really looking forward to seeing how he would interpret Tolkien's genius work. Oh well, hopefully producer Peter Jackson will be able to dig up someone just as creative, or, better yet, just direct the thing himself. After all, he did a perfectly fine job with The Lord of the Rings.
Source: Variety
1 comment:
Post a Comment