PJ“The Hobbit” is finally happening.

After settling a lawsuit with Peter Jackson on “The Lord of the Rings,” New Line co-chairmen/co-CEOs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne announced jointly with MGM chairman Harry Sloan that the way is clear to turn J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Hobbit” into two live-action films.

The resolution clears the way for “Spider-Man” helmer Sam Raimi to direct. While Shaye said no creative alignments have yet been made, Raimi has long been interested — as long as Jackson was involved or gave his blessing.Complete Article

PJ WaitingWith the news that Peter Jackson is hesitant to direct because he doesn’t want to make the fans wait for ‘The Hobbit’ films to be made  (read more), the question becomes… are you willing to wait? Let your voice be heard and vote on our latest poll!  All current polls can be found on the right side of TORn webpages. And if you want to see the results of all polls, check out the Poll Archive.

Tehanu just popped in to share this news from Stuff.co.nz: “MGM Chairman Harry Sloan, who was credited by all parties for bringing about the deal, said Jackson found it “impossible” to direct the films and meet proposed release dates in 2010 and 2011 due to other projects in the works.

“He can’t get it scheduled and he doesn’t want the fans to have to wait for the next two movies,” Sloan said. He said the studios might postpone the films if Jackson changed his mind.”

Jackson ‘too busy’ to direct Hobbit films