Acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy) stepped down as the director for “The Hobbit” movies after numerous delays and financial uncertainties plagued the project.
“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,” said Guillermo to the Lord Of The Rings fan website.
The two films, which will now possibly be directed by New Zealand-born Peter Jackson, are prequels to the hugely successful Lord Of The Rings trilogy, also directed by Jackson.
“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,” Jackson said.
The Warner Brothers production crew in New Zealand spent a considerable amount of time building massive sets for the film and del Toro had moved his family to Wellington to work on the script and pre-production for the film. Production setbacks put pressure on del Toro, whose packed 10-year schedule was further compromised with each delay.
Jackson added that del Toro would continue working on the film scripts over the coming months, while the producers transition into finding a new director.
“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,” said Jackson.
No announcement has been given by Warner Brothers confirming who will step in to fill Guillermo’s shoes. A trailer for The Hobbit is available at www.WarnerBrothers.com.
“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,” said Guillermo to the Lord Of The Rings fan website.
The two films, which will now possibly be directed by New Zealand-born Peter Jackson, are prequels to the hugely successful Lord Of The Rings trilogy, also directed by Jackson.
“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,” Jackson said.
The Warner Brothers production crew in New Zealand spent a considerable amount of time building massive sets for the film and del Toro had moved his family to Wellington to work on the script and pre-production for the film. Production setbacks put pressure on del Toro, whose packed 10-year schedule was further compromised with each delay.
Jackson added that del Toro would continue working on the film scripts over the coming months, while the producers transition into finding a new director.
“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,” said Jackson.
No announcement has been given by Warner Brothers confirming who will step in to fill Guillermo’s shoes. A trailer for The Hobbit is available at www.WarnerBrothers.com.
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