The holiday weekend brought fairly shocking news to fans of the "Lord of the Rings" universe. Guillermo del Toro, who has long been confirmed as the director of the two "The Hobbit," announced that he's no longer able to commit to helming the films. Repeated scheduling delays have conspired to push "The Hobbit" back further and further, and del Toro is now moving on to fulfill other commitments, though he'll hang onto a co-writer credit for the scripts.
Producer and "Lord of the Rings" trilogy writer/director/producer Peter Jackson came out in full support of del Toro's decision. "Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him," he said in a statement. "Guillermo’s strong vision is ingrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA."
Jackson further promised a smooth, delay-free transition to the next director. With "The Hobbit" reportedly ramping up at long last, a replacement should be confirmed in short order. So now it's time for us to speculate... who might it be?
Sam Raimi
Jackson proved himself as the ideal person to helm the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy following the monumental success of those films. While they never quite veer off into horror, his mildly-disturbing, mildly-fantastic imagery fit the universe very well. Del Toro was an equally perfect pick for "The Hobbit," as both filmmakers share very similar stylistic sensibilities.
If there's anyone in Hollywood who falls into that camp as well, it is Sam Raimi. He's got the right eye for capturing Middle-earth -- just look at "Evil Dead" or "Drag Me To Hell" in comparison to Jackson's "Dead Alive" -- and he's obviously got a ton of experience steering a mass audience-friendly franchise (see: "Spider-Man"). Raimi's commitments to other projects, such as video game adaptation "Warcraft," may interfere. Still, I think it's very likely he'll get a phone call, even if we never hear of it.
Terry Gilliam
Among Hollywood's more seasoned filmmakers, Gilliam, like Raimi, shares an artistic vision that falls very much in line with the worlds created by Jackson and del Toro in their own films. He's busy pulling together "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" right now, but that seems far enough along that it could finish up just in time for Gilliam to hop on a plane to New Zealand.
Sure, he's less of a safe bet than Raimi. Last year's "Doctor Parnassus" aside, Gilliam's output since the late-'90s has been... well... sort of atrocious. But we're talking about the guy who brought "Brazil" into the world, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," "The Fisher King," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"... with Jackson guiding things along, I think he could do great justice to "The Hobbit" while simultaneously proving that he hasn't lost the magic that led to some of his greatest works.
The Spierig Brothers
"Daybreakers" and "Undead" filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig are younger fellows, but they've got the vision. Watch "Daybreakers" and tell me you don't see the early work of Peter Jackson influencing the images on the screen. That vampire flick wasn't a smashing success, but it was a solid film that managed to more than double its budget in domestic ticket sales, and at a time of year (first quarter) where movies are typically sent to die. The accomplishment was enough to land the Spierig's a high-profile follow-up gig: "The Dark Crystal" sequel "The Power of the Dark Crystal." If they can bang that one out quickly enough, they'd be perfect to bring "The Hobbit" home.
Brad Bird
Brad Bird is an 11th hour entrant on this list, the reason I've named six candidates instead of just five. It's simple, really. Bird has a ton of experience filmmaking for families thanks to his extensive background with Pixar ("Up," "Ratatouille"). He's making the jump to live-action for the first time with "Mission: Impossible IV." "The Hobbit" is a much lighter tale than the "Rings" trilogy is; the situation becomes downright dire by the end of it, but there's a carefree aspect to Tolkien's writing in that novel which Jackson has said the coming films will attempt to capture. Bird, with his experience playing for families and his coming live-action debut, could be just the right guy to achieve the balance that "The Hobbit" will require.
Fran Walsh
Fran Walsh is Peter Jackson's wife and a co-writer/producer on "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" before it. She's listed on IMDb as having an Assistant Second Unit Director credit on "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring." Is it unlikely that directing duties for a project this large would go to someone unproven? Absolutely. But if there's anyone who can be justified as the right first-timer to helm "The Hobbit," it's Walsh. She's one of the foremost architects of that universe as we know it in film, and Jackson can easily share the benefit of his experience working on the previous trilogy as both her producer and her husband.
Peter Jackson
There's no more obvious choice than Peter Jackson. There are still fans who ask why he wasn't on board to direct "The Hobbit" to begin with. His Oscar-worthy work on the "Rings" trilogy is proof enough that there's not a better person on the planet to tell the rest of J.R.R. Tolkien's tales for the big screen. Unfortunately, it also seems that directing simply isn't a possibility for him, which is a major bummer. There are some great filmmakers out there, people who would be well-suited to take the reins from del Toro, but I think all fans can agree that no one is better suited than Jackson is.
Scratched Choices
There are two names in particular that I strongly considered adding to this list, but ultimately decided not to: Carl Erik Rinsch and Neill Blomkamp.
Putting aside the fact that "Logan's Run" might keep him too busy to do it, Carl Erik Rinsch is also something of a wild card. For starters, he hasn't actually directed a feature yet, though he's up for "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "47 Ronin" in addition to "Logan." What's more, his short film "The Gift" is notable for its slick sci-fi setting, but it's a visual style that wouldn't necessarily translate well to Middle-earth. That's not to say Rinsch can't do it... I just don't think he should.
It's pretty much the same with Blomkamp, a protege of Jackson's who directed last year's excellent sci-fi flick "District 9." He's a talented filmmaker with a unique vision, but it also doesn't really fit in with the established Middle-earth aesthetics. I can't wait to see more from Blomkamp, and I still hang onto the faint hope that someday, somehow, his defunct "Halo" adaptation will get off the ground. But he's just not the right risk to take for "The Hobbit."
Tags guillermo-del-toro, peter jackson, the-hobbit
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'The Hobbit' And Next Steps: With Guillermo Del Toro Out, Who Will Direct?
Posted 6/1/10 11:39 am EST by Adam Rosenberg in Commentary, News
Producer and "Lord of the Rings" trilogy writer/director/producer Peter Jackson came out in full support of del Toro's decision. "Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him," he said in a statement. "Guillermo’s strong vision is ingrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA."
Jackson further promised a smooth, delay-free transition to the next director. With "The Hobbit" reportedly ramping up at long last, a replacement should be confirmed in short order. So now it's time for us to speculate... who might it be?
Sam Raimi
Jackson proved himself as the ideal person to helm the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy following the monumental success of those films. While they never quite veer off into horror, his mildly-disturbing, mildly-fantastic imagery fit the universe very well. Del Toro was an equally perfect pick for "The Hobbit," as both filmmakers share very similar stylistic sensibilities.
If there's anyone in Hollywood who falls into that camp as well, it is Sam Raimi. He's got the right eye for capturing Middle-earth -- just look at "Evil Dead" or "Drag Me To Hell" in comparison to Jackson's "Dead Alive" -- and he's obviously got a ton of experience steering a mass audience-friendly franchise (see: "Spider-Man"). Raimi's commitments to other projects, such as video game adaptation "Warcraft," may interfere. Still, I think it's very likely he'll get a phone call, even if we never hear of it.
Terry Gilliam
Among Hollywood's more seasoned filmmakers, Gilliam, like Raimi, shares an artistic vision that falls very much in line with the worlds created by Jackson and del Toro in their own films. He's busy pulling together "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" right now, but that seems far enough along that it could finish up just in time for Gilliam to hop on a plane to New Zealand.
Sure, he's less of a safe bet than Raimi. Last year's "Doctor Parnassus" aside, Gilliam's output since the late-'90s has been... well... sort of atrocious. But we're talking about the guy who brought "Brazil" into the world, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," "The Fisher King," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"... with Jackson guiding things along, I think he could do great justice to "The Hobbit" while simultaneously proving that he hasn't lost the magic that led to some of his greatest works.
The Spierig Brothers
"Daybreakers" and "Undead" filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig are younger fellows, but they've got the vision. Watch "Daybreakers" and tell me you don't see the early work of Peter Jackson influencing the images on the screen. That vampire flick wasn't a smashing success, but it was a solid film that managed to more than double its budget in domestic ticket sales, and at a time of year (first quarter) where movies are typically sent to die. The accomplishment was enough to land the Spierig's a high-profile follow-up gig: "The Dark Crystal" sequel "The Power of the Dark Crystal." If they can bang that one out quickly enough, they'd be perfect to bring "The Hobbit" home.
Brad Bird
Brad Bird is an 11th hour entrant on this list, the reason I've named six candidates instead of just five. It's simple, really. Bird has a ton of experience filmmaking for families thanks to his extensive background with Pixar ("Up," "Ratatouille"). He's making the jump to live-action for the first time with "Mission: Impossible IV." "The Hobbit" is a much lighter tale than the "Rings" trilogy is; the situation becomes downright dire by the end of it, but there's a carefree aspect to Tolkien's writing in that novel which Jackson has said the coming films will attempt to capture. Bird, with his experience playing for families and his coming live-action debut, could be just the right guy to achieve the balance that "The Hobbit" will require.
Fran Walsh
Fran Walsh is Peter Jackson's wife and a co-writer/producer on "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" before it. She's listed on IMDb as having an Assistant Second Unit Director credit on "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring." Is it unlikely that directing duties for a project this large would go to someone unproven? Absolutely. But if there's anyone who can be justified as the right first-timer to helm "The Hobbit," it's Walsh. She's one of the foremost architects of that universe as we know it in film, and Jackson can easily share the benefit of his experience working on the previous trilogy as both her producer and her husband.
Peter Jackson
There's no more obvious choice than Peter Jackson. There are still fans who ask why he wasn't on board to direct "The Hobbit" to begin with. His Oscar-worthy work on the "Rings" trilogy is proof enough that there's not a better person on the planet to tell the rest of J.R.R. Tolkien's tales for the big screen. Unfortunately, it also seems that directing simply isn't a possibility for him, which is a major bummer. There are some great filmmakers out there, people who would be well-suited to take the reins from del Toro, but I think all fans can agree that no one is better suited than Jackson is.
Scratched Choices
There are two names in particular that I strongly considered adding to this list, but ultimately decided not to: Carl Erik Rinsch and Neill Blomkamp.
Putting aside the fact that "Logan's Run" might keep him too busy to do it, Carl Erik Rinsch is also something of a wild card. For starters, he hasn't actually directed a feature yet, though he's up for "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "47 Ronin" in addition to "Logan." What's more, his short film "The Gift" is notable for its slick sci-fi setting, but it's a visual style that wouldn't necessarily translate well to Middle-earth. That's not to say Rinsch can't do it... I just don't think he should.
It's pretty much the same with Blomkamp, a protege of Jackson's who directed last year's excellent sci-fi flick "District 9." He's a talented filmmaker with a unique vision, but it also doesn't really fit in with the established Middle-earth aesthetics. I can't wait to see more from Blomkamp, and I still hang onto the faint hope that someday, somehow, his defunct "Halo" adaptation will get off the ground. But he's just not the right risk to take for "The Hobbit."
Tags guillermo-del-toro, peter jackson, the-hobbit
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