I am just as excited as you are Rook!!  I am already looking forward to seeing "The Hobbit" even though the first film is not scheduled to be released until the 2011 Christmas film season.

Also do take note that Peter Jackson is also working with Steven Spielberg on a live action film adaption of "Tintin", which is also scheduled for Christmas 2011. They are making  the two book story,"The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure" into two distinct films.  I also believe that Andy Serkis will portray Captain Haddock.  Anyway, I am already impatient for the 2011 Christmas film season and that is still just under two years away.

P.S. For those of you unfamiliar with "Tintin", they are series of graphic novel children's books written by Herge, a Belgian writer, between 1928 and 1976.  They were originally published in French, but have since been translated into several different languages.

According to E!Online:

The pair of Hobbit movies has been pushed back to the end of 2012, according to Variety. The studio tells the trade the best outlook for the Lord of the Rings prequels is in the fourth quarter of that year, but even that's not set in stone.

*sniffle*

So Guillermo del Toro dropped out.  Now PJ has to look for a new director...

since Peter Jackson now has the opportunity to direct the film itself.  Let us hope that he will take it.  It would be the perfect follow up to his Lord of the Rings films.

wow i havent really followed the development of this film...mostly cuz it was so far ahead in the future...but hobbit is one of my fav altime books and with LOTR i've been pretty stoked for the hobbit film to come to fruition

sucks its taken some setbacks...and i agree that Peter Jackson should direct it :)

Wow. Just imagine the 2 years or so that GDT already put into developing what has to be an amazing movie. And then he has to step down because of  funding and scheduling? That has to be disappointing.

The Hobbit is one movie that I would want to see over any other being developed now. I'm imagining years in the future, when we're all snug in our homes watching the special edition DVD features where they talk about the development of the movie, and all the sturm und drang that it took to get the movie out there. I do hope that things get on track soon, and that this ends up being the great movie we all want it to be.

Has PJ made any statements yet that he might direct it?

I kinda like the idea of a director other than Peter Jackson directing The Hobbit.  PJ is more about epic imagery, which was suitable for the Lord of the Rings.  The Hobbit, though, is different in tone and scope... much more geared toward whimsy.  I thought GDT was a great choice.  I'm not sold that PJ would be the right replacement.  I'd probably throw my hat in for Terry Gilliam if I wasn't so sure that wouldn't somehow get the movie delayed another 6 years.

A message from del Toro.

A new Shire

Update: Peter Jackson may be directing the Hobbit after all.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/it-looks … bit,42553/

It was over on theonering.net that actor Martin Freeman won't be playing Bilbo Baggins, although he was one of the favorites to play the character. He has a scheduling conflict with working on the BBC series *Sherlock*.

Drat, I could definitely seen him playing the role.

The controversy now isn't so much who will direct it, but where they will direct. Because of union laws, it looks like it most likely moving from New Zealand to Europe. All I can say is...crap.