The big announcement came yesterday (May 31) that Guillermo Del Toro will not be directing The Hobbit due to numerous production delays. Now there is news that Peter Jackson may step in to take over.
His agent previously stated that prior obligations would prevent Jackson from directing The Hobbit. However, The Lord of the Rings director gave an interview to the Dominion Post in New Zealand and offered a different version. He said, "If what I have to do to protect Warner Bros’ investment, then obviously that’s one angle which I’ll explore…The other studios may not let me out of the contracts."
Among the prior obligations is a project with Steven Spielberg, a trilogy about the adventures of Tintin. The two were supposed to take turns directing and producing the films. The first film, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, was directed by Spielberg and produced by Jackson. It will be released on December 23, 2011. The second film will be made next year and will be released in 2012.
Peter Jackson remains optimistic about The Hobbit and thinks the project will move forward once MGM’s future becomes clearer.
He added, "The key thing is that we don’t intend to shut the project down. We don’t intend to let this affect the progress. Everybody, including the studio, wants to see things carry on as per normal."