No one saw this coming!
The minute Guillermo Del Toro ended his time in Middle Earth, everyone figured it was just a matter of time before Peter Jackson committed to directing THE HOBBIT. According to Heat Vision, that day appears to be drawing near.
This always made sense. After all, they've already spent a good chunk of cash on preproduction; Jackson's got to get that money back somehow. And if they're ever going to interest some deep-pocketed angel of an investor to rescue MGM and get this fucker made, then they'll need the man who brought Middle Earth to the big screen back in the director's chair.
But until MGM's debt situation is squared away (all $4 billion of it), THE HOBBIT will not happen. Anne Thompson reports that Warner Bros. made a $1.5 billion offer to buy the company, but that just wasn't good enough for the MGM's investors. It's a mess - and I don't know if Peter Jackson agreeing to direct the two-part film will get it cleared up anytime soon.
