GUILLERMO DEL TORO VS. SMAUG
- By Russ Fischer
- Published 01/28/2008
- News
I'm going to keep this real short, because I've got some serious anticipatin' to do. Guillermo del Toro is in talks to take on the two Hobbit flicks for New Line. With The Lovely Bones and the three-picture Tintin crowding his plate, Peter Jackson doesn't have the leeway to direct the movies any time soon. If Guillermo's deal works out, he'll "oversee" the script with Jackson, likely beginning the very moment the strike is resolved. (Go ahead and dream that hunger to get this one going could push New Line to broker its own deal with the WGA.) This is like that time I got a tricked-out Tamiya Hornet r.c. car, a Penthouse subscription and a pistol for my thirteenth birthday. Except this is better, because that didn't really happen and this actually could.
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Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by Joe)
Since when did del Toro have time to do this either? What about 3993 and his Lovecraft script? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he'd be a great director for the Hobbit films, but I thought del Toro had just as full a plate as Jackson right now...
Comment #2 (Posted by movieme)
New Line was just absorbed by Warner Bros. Aren't they the lone hold-out on the strike, or a major force in not ending it yet? I thought I'd heard that.
Either way Bob Shaye's tenure is done I know that much.
Comment #3 (Posted by Cruikshank)
I guess that Tarzan movie Guillermo at one time was talking of making is never going to happen.
Comment #4 (Posted by Tull)
I think Del Toro will be more than willing to shelve all projects still on the conceptual stage if he can do the Hobbit and bridging to LOTR films. Really, I can't see anyone else being able to do it justice outside of Jackson himself.
Comment #5 (Posted by Jacob)
Good for him. As long as he gets his three thousand other projects done before we all die.
Comment #6 (Posted by Dan)
As far as the strike goes, both Peter Jackson and Guillermo aren't American and therefore don't even qualify for WGA membership. So technically they could probably get started on a first draft right now.
Comment #7 (Posted by donde)
Holy shit would this be cool. Hopefully it goes down but like other chewers, I worry about all the other projects Del Toro already has on his plate and how this new one would impact any of them.
Comment #8 (Posted by an unknown user)
Frederico Luppi as Legolas' pop or one of the dwarves. Ron Perlman as the voice of Smaug. Luke Goss as the orc leader. Screw the laketown hero, just get aragorn or legolas to shoot smaug down.
He's got monstersaplenty to work with. It'll be interesting to see if he goes with a batwing dragon or chinese serpent dragon. Plenty of orcs and wolves to go around and a were-bear too. This is right up his alley.
Comment #9 (Posted by Nicko)
Very excited to hear this. Rather it be del Toro than Rami doing the Hobbit IMHO. Just finally saw Devil's Backbone, amazing film.
Comment #10 (Posted by an unknown user)
GDT has talked about projects he would like to do, but that's all that been done. Talking. His schedule is completely open following Hellboy 2. This isn't the first that's bden said of this. Just a couple months ago (or perhaps it was sooner) GDT expressed interest in directing The Hobbit when asked about the rumors that he was interested in the project, also mentioned the fact that he'd be unemployed following HB2.
Comment #11 (Posted by Boa)
I would prefer Alfonso Cuaron over del Toro. I like his style more. Guillermo also stated that while he had read the Hobbit in the past, he not been able to get through the Lord of the Rings. That doesn't give me confidence in his understanding of the world of Middle Earth.
Comment #12 (Posted by Jim)
Great news if it pans out. I think Guillermo may be more qualified to direct this than Jackson...yeah yeah yeah, let the flaming begin! I love what Jackson did with the Rings films, I think Guillermo can add more layers. I just hope this doesn't interfere with Mountains, which I thought was a go picture...if not, this will certainly earn him the creds.
Comment #13 (Posted by Ron)
A blue-gray middle-earth, a bear with it's eyeballs somewhere else on the body and tentacles, blind trolls with tentacles arguing over an eyeball, a dragon with eight dragonfly wings, and eyeballs on its tentacles...can't wait
Comment #14 (Posted by Andrew Allen)
David Bowie as the Elvenking! (King Thranduil, Legolas's father)
Comment #15 (Posted by Aethyrr)
This is great news!
