Guillermo del Toro Drops Out of "The Hobbit"

This was news about the film version of The Hobbit that I did not want to hear:  Guillermo del Toro has officially departed the production.

Citing production delays due to the sale of the struggling MGM studio - both The Hobbit and a Lord of the Rings prequel film have yet to be greenlit - del Toro released the following statment to the fansite TheOneRing.net today:

“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. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director”.

A statement from executive producer Peter Jackson confirms that he will continue to work with del Toro to finish both Hobbit screenplays, along with Phillippa Boyens and Fran Walsh.  “We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave the Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and 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”, said Jackson. “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. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him. Guillermo’s strong vision is engrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA”.

This is very disappointing news.  I'm a big fan of del Toro's work, and I was really looking forward to seeing what he would bring to The Hobbit, which is one of my favorite books.  It does sound like he will still be very much involved with the project, but it's a shame this whole MGM mess had to lead to this.

Regardless of this news, both films are still scheduled for release in December 2012 and December 2013, respectively.