Guillermo del Toro No Longer Directing The Hobbit

In the two years The Hobbit has been in development, director Guillermo del Toro has been unwavering in his dedication to the project. The director even moved his wife and children to New Zealand for the shoot, while the first movie was aiming for a December 2012 release. Eager fans who have been awaiting a film adaptation of the popular J.R.R. Tolkien book were stunned today to learn that del Toro has relinquished the helm of the production. In a statement to Lord of the Rings fansite TheOneRing.net, del Toro says,

“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.

"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 wish 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."

It is being speculated that del Toro may have begun rethinking his involvement with The Hobbit when MGM put the two-picture project in a 'limbo' state several weeks ago. Producers for the film had been gearing for an official start date sometime this summer, but to no avail.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy director Peter Jackson offered a response to del Toro's statement as well: "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. 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. New Line and Warner Bros. will sit down with us this week, to ensure a smooth and uneventful transition, as we secure a new director for the Hobbit. We do not anticipate any delay or disruption to ongoing pre-production work,"

Though he's officially off of this film, del Toro won't have much time to himself. The director has a laundry list of projects already in development that will outline his next 10 years; including Neil Gaiman's Death: The High Cost of Living comic book adaptation and a Frankenstein remake.