We caught up with Guillermo Del Toro but a few minutes ago and asked him for an update on the current situation with The Hobbit. Many sites have been reporting that his deal to direct is signed and sealed and just waiting for an end to the writers' strike before it's announced. But that’s not so, he says.
“I wish it was definite, but it isn’t,” he told us. “It’s still in talks, there are still a lot of 'T's to cross and 'I's to dot. It’s certainly not certain yet…But, as far as I’m concerned, [if it was definite] I would be packed in ten seconds”.
Many will know that earlier this week the Tolkien estate announced that they are suing New Line for money they say is owed them from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which could potentially mean the studio loses the rights to make The Hobbit.
“I heard that, but I’m quite zen about those things,” Del Toro continued. “Since that news broke, I have not exchanged a single phone call with my lawyer or my manager or anyone. They talk about it and I have received some emails, but, as far as I’m concerned, until I’m on board I should not worry about it. I read about it, but there’s nothing I can do about it. This week seems to be the lawsuit week in Hollywood”.
Finally, if, fingers crossed, he does put pen to paper to direct The Hobbit and its sequel, we asked him if he’d bring back any of the Lord of the Rings cast whose characters appear in The Hobbit, like Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen.
“Yeah, absolutely. I’ve been pretty much incredibly open about the things that I love and don’t love in the past. I’ve turned down huge franchises in the past because there are parts of that world I don’t gel with. The reason I took Blade 2 is because I love the characters that Stephen Norrington created and the actors he used. That times ten is the reason why I’m interested in The Hobbit”
There may be lots of bizarre typos and randomly inserted symbols in stories in the near future, as we'll be typing with fingers crossed that this will finally happen.
To read more on The Hobbit and the rest of the directors upcoming movies, read our exclusive interview with Del Toro here.