In case you were unplugged and off the information grid all weekend, TheOneRing.net broke the story that Guillermo del Toro has stepped away from directing duties on two planned (hoped for) films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” We are assured (by one of the super-good inside sources) that GDT’s DNA in the form of script and design and pre-viz work will remain in place, new director willing. And why would they find a director who isn’t willing or wants to revisit the same work?
After getting over the shock and feeling the loss of our message board member’s departure, and wishing him all the best, the question now becomes: Who will direct “The Hobbit”? We have some ideas and maybe even some insights. Continue reading “Who will helm ‘The Hobbit’?”
From Adam B. Vary of EW.com: Before the 2009 Sundance Film Festival began, the talk was that, thanks to the economy, this year’s fest could be the most sedate in years…One group of guys who had no problem at all keeping their spirits up: The amigos of Rudo y Cursi, a comedy about brothers and Mexican soccer produced by cinema heavyweights Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo Del Toro, written and directed by Alfonso’s brother Carlos Cuarón, and starring Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal. Luna couldn’t make the festival due to a commitment in Mexico, but the rest of the crew happily plopped down in the loft to talk about the welcoming, easy-going community of movie lovers that makes Sundance so appealing for indie filmmakers. Mostly, though, the group just reveled in taking the piss out of Del Toro for his next gig: Cowriting and directing a little movie called The Hobbit. (Del Toro had left working with Peter Jackson et al on the script in New Zealand specifically to promote Rudo y Cursi.) But rather than describe just how charming and hilarious these four were, I’d like to show you. Last night, I hopped in the van with them as they drove to the Rudo y Cursi premiere after a dinner in which the wine flowed freely. Sundance: Guillermo del Toro gets teased about ‘The Hobbit’
