First Hobbit Movie Hits Theaters Dec. 2012

Government works out a deal with Warner Bros.

(NEWSER) - The protests full of people who wanted to keep The Hobbit in New Zealand apparently worked: The country’s government worked out a deal with Warner Bros. to ensure the Peter Jackson-directed endeavor will film there. A labor dispute threatened to kill filming two months ago, and Jackson threatened to move the movie if need be. Instead, the government increased financial incentives for the film, and will clarify laws covering film industry workers, the Telegraph reports. More»

'Lord of the Rings' mastermind takes over project from del Toro

(NEWSER) - Lord of the Rings fans, rejoice: The Hobbit will be directed by Peter Jackson himself, Deadline reports. Jackson is negotiating a deal with Warner Bros, New Line, and MGM, and the studios are reportedly willing to spend big on a two-part Hobbit picture from J.R.R. Tolkien's most accomplished interpreter. More»

The movie is cursed, so surely the choice will be terrible

(NEWSER) - Now that Guillermo del Toro has quit The Hobbit, who will take over as director? Considering the movie is in jeopardy, since doomed MGM holds the rights, del Toro's replacement "has to be somebody who doesn't have much to lose in taking on a project with a 50% probability of total implosion," writes Andrew O'Hehir on Salon . He offers up 11 candidates:

• Peter Jackson: He did, after all, direct the Lord of the Rings trilogy...and although his manager issued a vague not-quite-denial, Jackson himself has said it's not entirely out of the question.

Blames ongoing delays; will help with screenplay

(NEWSER) - The highly anticipated Hobbit movies have found themselves without a director. Guillermo del Toro quit “in light of ongoing delays,” he announced, calling it “the hardest decision of my life.” Del Toro will still assist with writing the screenplays for the two prequels, the Dominion Post reports. He blamed the delays on “conflicting schedules”; at a press conference last week, he confirmed MGM had not yet greenlit the project because of “a very tangled negotiation.” More»

Long-awaited trailer reveals much about An Unexpected Journey

(NEWSER) - An early Christmas gift for Lord of the Rings fans: The first official trailer for the first part of Peter Jackson's two-part adaptation of The Hobbit has been released, reports Wired . An Unexpected Journey, one of 2012's most hotly anticipated releases, stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and will be out next December. The trailer reveals plenty about Jackson's plans for his second outing in Middle Earth, and makes it clear that new material he has written based on JRR Tolkein's other writings won't be saved for the second movie, notes Cinema Blend . More»