I think it sounds like a really good idea, too.

Um, just for everyone getting excited over this… you do realize he’s only executive producing the films and not directing them, don’t you?  In other words he may not take any active roll in their creation at all, instead he might just oversee everything.  The unofficial word is that he won’t be directing them at all.  That doesn’t excite me overly much.

Charybdis - 20 December 2007 09:07 AM

Um, just for everyone getting excited over this… you do realize he’s only executive producing the films and not directing them, don’t you?  In other words he may not take any active roll in their creation at all, instead he might just oversee everything.  The unofficial word is that he won’t be directing them at all.  That doesn’t excite me overly much.

But at least they’re making it.  There are plenty of other good directors out there, even if Peter Jackson only produces and doesn’t direct.  The book The Hobbit for the most part has a different mood and feel to it than does The Lord of the Rings trilogy, so having the movie versions have a slightly different feel to them won’t be the end of the Universe as long as it’s still well done.

Unless it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Adam Sandler.

Tah - 18 December 2007 05:17 PM

It’s about freaking time.  He’s not named Director (yet?), but this is definitely a huge positive.

Charybdis - 20 December 2007 09:07 AM

Um, just for everyone getting excited over this… you do realize he’s only executive producing the films and not directing them, don’t you?  In other words he may not take any active roll in their creation at all, instead he might just oversee everything.  The unofficial word is that he won’t be directing them at all.  That doesn’t excite me overly much.

Yes.

And since it was brought up . . .

Spider-man and Evil Dead director Sam Raimi is expected to helm the upcoming Peter Jackson-produced Hobbit films, after making his return to horror with Drag Me to Hell (more on that later). But what if Raimi and New Line can’t ink a deal? Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro is said to be in consideration for the upcoming JRR Tolkien adaptation and sequel.

[More]

And from a bit later in the article:

The first film will be an adaptation of The Hobbit, while the second film will serve as a prequel which bridges the gap between The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, using Tolkien’s lengthy appendices as source material.

So there you go.

Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro is said to be in consideration for the upcoming JRR Tolkien adaptation and sequel.

I was actually sort of hoping that it might be him. . .

Accipiter - 21 December 2007 02:17 AM

Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro is said to be in consideration for the upcoming JRR Tolkien adaptation and sequel.

I was actually sort of hoping that it might be him. . .

Yeah, I could definitely live with that.

I prefer a del Toro movie to a Raimi one.

Maegan - 21 December 2007 12:11 PM

I prefer a del Toro movie to a Raimi one.

The only problem I would have with Raimi doing it is trying to figure out where Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi (brother) would show up for their cameos.

Tah - 21 December 2007 01:25 PM

Maegan - 21 December 2007 12:11 PM

I prefer a del Toro movie to a Raimi one.

The only problem I would have with Raimi doing it is trying to figure out where Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi (brother) would show up for their cameos.

As Smaug?  They could work together in a big pantomime-dragon suit.

Actually, I can sort of see Bruce Campbell as Bard. . .

I can hardly wait…