May 30, 2010

Guillermo del Toro quits "The Hobbit" due to personal reasons

 Story by:  Léon DeGrelle

Source

To nip this in the bud, and to stop fans from criticizing him and calling Del Toro names, here's the bottom line.  He's aleady committed 2 years of his life getting the project started, working in New Zealand, he's had to live in New Zealand for all this time, and being far from ones home and culture, sucks ass.  According to Peter Jackson, Del Toro's original commitment was of 3 years, not the 6 that both these movies require, as Jackson himself did over a decade ago when he created his masterpiece of the Lord of the Rings series.  The time slot for the realease was and has continued to be pushed back, primarily because of MGM studios, own internal woes, on "Who Is The Leader" and other financial problems.  As Peter Jackson quotes:
"We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave the Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone’s control – has compromised his commitment to other long term projects. The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him. Guillermo’s strong vision is engrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA"
Del Toro's own words:
"In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life.....After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director".
 So we say goodbye, to any possibility of a future blockbuster anytime soon.  The Hobbit will be placed on hold until a suitable director will be found, and MGM, gets it's problems resolved.  Until then, Tolkien fans......the future looks bleak for now.

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