TheOneRing.net is is almost,kind of officially reporting that District 9 director Neil Blomkamp will helm The Hobbit. The site goes on to say:
However, we did receive a spy report that stated it as cold, hard, unsurprising fact. We haven’t been able to get a verification but the tip stated some other information on the side that fits with other info from other sources. A bunch of little pieces of information, some rock solid, some unclear, start to form a big picture that looks like it could have Blomkamp in it.
While MGM and Warner Brothers want Peter Jackson to direct both Hobbit movies, Jackson feels he would only be competing with himself from his work on the LOTR trilogy. The director felt he could keep a safe distance with his good friend, Guillermo del Toro, directing. Since that fell through, many names have popped up on the radar, but Blomkamp filming would work best for Jackson due to their previous excellent working relationship.
TheOneRing also states that, despite MGM's financial instability, shooting should begin in early 2011 which is all the more reason to get a director confirmed. The official announcement should come at Comic-Con if not sooner.