It seems it is true, Guillermo del Toro is not officially aboard to direct The Hobbit or it’s sequel and I can only assume it is this latest lawsuit business that is holding things up.
Del Toro recently spoke with Empire and when asked about the project and his involvement he said, “I wish it was definite, but it isn’t. It’s still in talks, there are still a lot of ‘T’s to cross and ‘I’s to dot. It’s certainly not certain yet…But, as far as I’m concerned, [if it was definite] I would be packed in ten seconds.”
Empire even brought up the lawsuit and the potential it has to derail the entire project. To this Del Toro responded, “I heard that, but I’m quite zen about those things. Since that news broke, I have not exchanged a single phone call with my lawyer or my manager or anyone. They talk about it and I have received some emails, but, as far as I’m concerned, until I’m on board I should not worry about it. I read about it, but there’s nothing I can do about it. This week seems to be the lawsuit week in Hollywood.”
As far as bringing back cast members that starred in the Lord of the Rings trilogy should their characters show up in the new films he was quite optimistic, “Yeah, absolutely. I’ve been pretty much incredibly open about the things that I love and don’t love in the past. I’ve turned down huge franchises in the past because there are parts of that world I don’t gel with. The reason I took Blade 2 is because I love the characters that Stephen Norrington created and the actors he used. That times ten is the reason why I’m interested in The Hobbit.”
If you happen to see a copy of Empire on the magazine rack you may want to pick it up as this is only a portion of the interview.
