Friday, November 6

• Hobbit Director Talks Dragons and Spiders and More

  In an in-depth interview with Total Film, Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro lays out his vision for The Hobbit in detail and talks about how he plans to take creature design out of the shadow of The Lord of the Rings. In conceiving these creatures, he says he will "keep the DNA in the same gene pool as the Rings trilogy," but with some critical differences.

  ...in the trilogy most of the creatures are brutish or inarticulate. In The Hobbit, the creatures speak: Smaug has beautiful lines of dialogue; the Great Goblin has beautiful lines of dialogue; many creatures do. So we had to design them with a different approach because you are not just designing things that are scary.

  I also wanted some of the monsters in The Hobbit to be majestic.

  I wanted the Wargs to have a certain beauty so that you don't have a massively clear definition: what is beautiful is good and what is ugly is not. Some of the monsters are absolutely gorgeous.

  Of course, the most anticipated of these creatures is the dragon Smaug. It's something that del Toro has been working especially hard on, and he promises something really unique here.

  ...we're finishing his colour palette and a little bit of the texture. But the bulk of the design took about a year, solid. It's because of the unique features of the dragon.

  Early in production I came up with a very strong idea that would separate Smaug from every other dragon ever made. The problem was implementing that idea. But I think we've nailed it.

  And then there are the spiders of Mirkwood.

  Well, they are the progeny of Shelob, but Shelob was quite a promiscuous girl [laughs]. She mated with many partners. And insects and spiders are incredibly adaptable creatures. There will be spiders.... They are more creatures of the shadow, more creatures of the deep forest. They are not earth nesting. They are nesting in the canopies so physically they have adapted to that environment.... With Shelob, she was quite low to the ground so she moved like a tank. Our spiders have to feel massive but be very nimble.

  What comes through most in this interview — which is well worth reading in full — is just how much fun making this movie is for him. And from all the hints he drops, it looks to be massively fun for the audience as well.

  
  

  Posted 11/06/2009 by Bill

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Tuesday, November 3

• McKellen "Couldn't Be Happier" about The Hobbit Script

  Talking to Sci Fi Wire, Ian McKellen (Gandalf) says that he has finally had a chance to read the script for Guillermo del Toro's live-action adaptation of The Hobbit ... and he "couldn't be happier" with it. And why shouldn't he be, since the part was written specifically with him in mind:

  As Peter has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for The Hobbit] because they knew who they were writing him for. ... There are a lot of characters in The Hobbit, including, crucially, Bilbo, and they don't know who's going to play Bilbo. So it's extremely attractive that this part has been written for me. The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. There's lots for me to enjoy, in all sorts of ways. And I couldn't be happier. But I'm sworn to secrecy. I'm not to say anything at all about the script.

  McKellen goes on to offer some reassurance about the continuity between The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings now that it is being helmed by del Toro, rather than Peter Jackson:

  They are the same person. ... They were separated at birth. They're twins. They have the same attitude. Neither likes working in Hollywood. They're both fascinated by fantasy and violence on the screen, and gore, and things that frighten you. They like going into the psyche. They're both brilliant storytellers in very much the same way. And I think the script, because I have read it, plays very much to Guillermo's strengths, as I've seen them. I have seen his other movies, and people act very well in them. So I think it's all fine. And Peter will always be there.

  Hopefully, this is all a signal that casting can now begin in earnest. Who's going to play Bilbo? Inquiring minds want to know.

  
  

  Posted 11/03/2009 by Bill

  Related: Ian McKellen | Peter Jackson | Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Tuesday, October 6

• Scientists Fall for Their Mutant Baby in First Clip from Splice

  For a monster movie, Splice has a lot of things going for it. It's produced by Guillermo del Toro. It stars Adrien Brody, who won the best actor Oscar for The Pianist. And it has a premise ripped straight from the headlines: The plot centers on a pair of scientists, played by Brody and Sarah Polley, who have decided to throw professional ethics to the wind by splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new hybrid organism.

  Shades of The Island of Doctor Moreau, sure, but science has come a long way since the time of H.G. Wells, so it really could happen. Of course, there will be consequences. It is, after all, a cautionary tale, as del Toro emphasizes in a clip introducing the movie.

  In this first clip from Splice though, the scientists are won over by their cute, though somewhat deformed, mutant baby, who is destined to turn into a "beautiful, but dangerous winged human-chimera" before things go horribly wrong.

  
  

  Posted 10/06/2009 by Bill

  Related: Adrien Brody | Guillermo del Toro | Sarah Polley | Splice

Thursday, October 1

• Will Financial Woes at MGM Endanger The Hobbit?

  Having just fought off a long-running lawsuit, The Hobbit now faces another peril not born of Middle Earth. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that the financial situation at MGM has become so dire that bondholders are considering the idea of just letting the studio go bankrupt.

  At issue is a $3.5 billion dollar debt. Not exactly small change, and the studio is having trouble making the interest payments. Without some form of relief, the company says there won't be enough cash to keep funding current projects or to start production on Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of The Hobbit. At least one other big-name franchise is in danger as well. The studio owns the rights to James Bond, which is supposed to be heading toward its 23rd and, as yet, untitled installment.

  No word yet from the creditors as to which way this is going to turn out. Still, the gold in The Hobbit is not limited to what can be picked up in Smaug's cave, and it is hard to believe that, even if the studio were to go bankrupt, so much potential profit would just be left lying around for too long with no one to claim it.

  
  

  Posted 10/01/2009 by Bill

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Thursday, September 10

• Viggo Mortenson Takes a Break from Acting — The Hobbit Losing Its Aragorn?

  

  Several sources are noting that Viggo Mortenson has hinted in an interview with Men's Journal that he plans on taking an indefinite break from acting. Some are going so far as to say that he's permanently throwing in the towel, although that seems like a far-fetched conclusion. Nevertheless, Mortenson definitely indicated that he's burned out and needs to go on a temporary hiatus.

  I have no plans to do another movie. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm open to seeing how I feel in a while, but right now I'm not saying yes to anything. My agent is like, "Well, if you don't do anything, people will forget about you ..." I just feel like I've taken on too much for a while.

  This means that The Road might be Mortenson's last movie for a while. Cinema Blend points out that this could be bad news for Lord of the Rings fans, who were expecting to see Mortenson reprise his role as Aragorn for the second of Guillermo del Toro's Hobbit movies. Although the character isn't featured in Tolkien's novel, the second movie promises to go beyond The Hobbit and create a sort of bridge to Lord of the Rings, which follows The Hobbit chronologically.

  Regarding Mortenson's agent's claim, this obviously isn't the first time an actor has decided to take a sudden leave from his career, and it's not impossible to recover from a protracted period away. Since starring in The Boxer (1997), Daniel Day-Lewis has done only three movies: Gangs of New York, The Ballad of Jack and Rose (which his wife directed), and There Will Be Blood. While we're not saying that Mortenson necessarily has the same clout, Day-Lewis's case shows that some time away won't necessarily ruin a person's career. Either way, we'll have to wait and see what Mortenson decides.

  
  

  Posted 09/10/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | Viggo Mortensen | The Road | The Hobbit

Tuesday, September 8

• Lawsuit Settled, The Hobbit Moves Forward

  Although everyone had long been proceeding under the assumption that Guillermo del Toro's two-part adaptation of The Hobbit was a go, there was always one thing looming in the background that threatened to derail the project — the Tolkien family lawsuit. The family (and Harper Collins Publishers) claimed that royalty payments that New Line owed them for the Lord of the Rings movies — which raked in nearly $6 billion worldwide — were never paid. The suit sought to block production of The Hobbit until a settlement was reached.

  Today it was announced that the suit has finally been settled out of court. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed, but we're going to safely assume it was for a ton. The really important news, though, is that one of the last obstacles for making The Hobbit into a movie has been cleared. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.

  The next question to be settled: Who's going to play Bilbo? At this rate, we should be getting an answer very soon.

  
  

  Posted 09/08/2009 by Bill

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Monday, August 31

• Guillermo del Toro Producing Deadman Movie

  Yet another DC Comics character is preparing to leap off of the page and onto the big screen. Guillermo del Toro, director of the Hellboy movies (another comic book character), is producing a big-screen adaptation of Deadman, with Nikolaj Arcel (Island of Lost Souls) possibly taking the director's chair.

  The character Deadman hasn't had much success in comic book form, so it's unclear how true to the source material del Toro plans to make the picture. In the comic books, circus trapeze artist Boston Brand is "resurrected" as a ghost by a Hindu goddess so that he can seek revenge on his murderer.

  
  

  Posted 08/31/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | Nikolaj Arcel | Island of Lost Souls | Hellboy | Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Monday, August 24

• The Hobbit to Start Filming in March

  There have been all sorts of unsubstantiated rumors popping up in recent days about the two-part Hobbit movie being helmed by Guillermo del Toro. Now we have some real news, confirmed by Gandalf (Ian McKellen) himself.

  According to a report form TheOneRing.net, McKellen showed up at an all-night screening of The Lord of the Rings in London and revealed that he is currently re-reading The Hobbit in expectation of returning to New Zealand for filming in March 2010. He also said that he is supposed to see the script next week and indicated that while knows who is going to play Bilbo in the movie, he isn't prepared to name names. Speculation is currently focused on James McAvoy and David Tennant now that Daniel Radcliffe has bowed out.

  
  

  Posted 08/24/2009 by Bill

  Related: Ian McKellen | Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Tuesday, August 18

• Peter Jackson May Direct a Third Hobbit Movie

  Peter Jackson may not be done with Middle Earth after all.

  After directing the massively successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson handed the reins over to Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth), who is now behind two movie adaptations of The Hobbit.

  But now Marketsaw, a blog devoted to 3-D features, reports that not only will The Hobbit be in 3-D, but Jackson may direct a third movie that acts as a bridge between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, its chronological successor. (A third film that del Toro ruled out two months ago.)

  The author of the article quotes someone described as "one of my most trusted sources." Here's what that source had to say.

  I think The Hobbit may be a different beast to the book, at least in terms of going darker.... I can tell you this: Peter Jackson is very keen to have the two part Hobbit tale set in 3D. Del Toro, however, is holding back on that school of thought. At least for the time being.

  I'm hearing word — and it's only speculation at the moment — that it wont be two films. It will be three. The two parts and the bridge movie. Word alone is not trustworthy. However I hear this from lots of people and have seen things to indicate this may be the way it is heading.

  We can only imagine how ecstatic this would make die-hard Lord of the Rings fans (ourselves included), should it prove to be true. It remains a shame, though, that we'll have to wait more than two years to see anything, since the first movie in the Hobbit ... trilogy? ... is not due in theaters until December 2011.

  
  

  Posted 08/18/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Peter Jackson | Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Friday, July 24

• Peter Jackson Previews The Lovely Bones, Talks About The Hobbit

  

  EW reports that Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson spoke to the public at Comic-Con in San Diego following a screening of Neill Blomkamp's District 9, which he his producing. Jackson spoke about both The Hobbit, which is being directed by Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth), and his own The Lovely Bones, due in theaters this December.

  Jackson will deliver a script for The Hobbit in a few weeks, and he says that work on the movie is still very preliminary.

  We don't have a budget. We don't have a green light. We can't offer any actors roles til then.

  Meanwhle, Jackson screened a short clip for The Lovely Bones ahead of the release of the first official trailer on August 7. The movie tells the story of a 14-year-old girl — portrayed by Saoirse Ronan — who is murdered and afterwards watches over her family from heaven. She also sees her killer (Stanley Tucci) and struggles with a desire for revenge. Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz play the girl's parents.

  Although the subject matter of the movie is grim, Jackson finds humor in the main character.

  She's wonderfully funny. She feels no self pity and makes ironic, wry observations.

  
  

  Posted 07/24/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Mark Wahlberg | Stanley Tucci | Peter Jackson | Guillermo del Toro | Saoirse Ronan | Rachel Weisz | Neill Blomkamp | The Lovely Bones | The Hobbit | District 9

Monday, June 29

• The Hobbit to Unveil New Landscapes

  On location in New Zealand, director Guillermo del Toro offered some early hints about what audiences can expect from his cinematic interpretation of The Hobbit.

  First off, he explains where the project currently stands:

  Well we start next year. We are in pre-production. We are writing, designing, designing characters, monsters. Designing all the environments. Developing the technology to shoot it. And it will start in March 2010 and we will shoot for about 370 days or so. And at the end of that we will post-produce for a few months. And then first movie comes out 2011. Second movie comes out 2012.

  He then goes on to tease the prospect of landscapes beyond anything seen in Lord of the Rings:

  The landscapes in some cases, in some instances that were not established in the trilogy, we are going for a slightly different feel in some of the landscapes. So we are going to evolve little by little. At the end of the first movie, you will see landscapes that you haven't seen in the trilogy. And in the second movie we go to, hopefully, a place that is very very different.

  Adding to the already huge expectations, comic artist Mike Mignola offered his impressions on the status of the project from a week in New Zealand working on some concept drawings for the movie:

  ... it looks like a 16-hour, insane movie, there's so much in it. It's too early for me to tell how much stuff is going to get paired down. I don't really feel comfortable saying too much, except that it looks amazing. And it's very much a del Toro stamp on that world.

  Sounds like things are off to a really good start.

  
  

  Posted 06/29/2009 by Bill

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | Mike Mignola | The Hobbit

Friday, June 12

• Guillermo del Toro Confirms McKellen, Serkis, and Weaving Returning for The Hobbit

  Many fans are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Guillermo del Toro's vision of The Hobbit, due in 2012. For the uninitiated, The Hobbit is based on the J. R. R. Tolkien book of same name, which takes place before his Lord of the Rings trilogy.

  Several of The Hobbit's characters were featured in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies — leaving many to wonder if members of Jackson's cast would appear in del Toro's adaptation. According to the director himself, we can expect at least three familiar faces. In an interview with BBC Radio 5, he confirmed (around the 2:10:45 mark) that Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, and Hugo Weaving will reprise their roles as the wizard Gandalf, the treacherous Gollum, and the elf lord Elrond, respectively.

  No other casting decisions have been announced. The screenplay was written by del Toro and Jackson, along with Lord of the Rings co-writers Phillipa Boyens and Fran Walsh.

  
  

  Posted 06/12/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Hugo Weaving | Ian McKellen | Peter Jackson | Guillermo del Toro | Philippa Boyens | Fran Walsh | Andy Serkis | The Hobbit

Monday, June 8

• Hobbit Director Rules Out a Trilogy

  In comments made to MTV, director Guillermo del Toro confirms that his adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit will consist of only two films. There had been rumors -- and April Fools' jokes -- about The Hobbit becoming a trilogy. He indicates that there had been serious discussions about a "bridge" film between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But ultimately, del Toro says, "the two films were the way to go."

  He also has decided on the point in the narrative where he will spit the two films, but isn't divulging that detail yet. Speculation is centering on the point where Bilbo and his dwarf companions escape the Mirkwood elves on a raft made of barrels.

  
  

  Posted 06/08/2009 by Bill

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Thursday, March 12

• Bayona's On to Direct Eclipse

  As previously rumored, Variety reports that Spanish horror wunderkind Juan Antonio Bayona will direct Eclipse. Summit Entertainment is expected to make an official announcement soon.

  Bayona is a protege of Guillermo del Toro. Under his helm, Eclipse can be expected to be more of a horror genre pic than Twilight. He's also attached to direct the thriller Hater for Universal, his first movie in English. He previously directed the critically acclaimed Spanish-language horror thriller The Orphanage, which del Toro executive produced.

  
  
  Next Showing: Eclipse opens June 30, 2010.

  Posted 03/12/2009 by Hailey

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | Juan Antonio Bayona | The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Twilight | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse | The Orphanage

Wednesday, March 11

• Horror Wunderkind In The Running To Direct Eclipse

  Another name has emerged as a possible Eclipse director. Sadly, but not surprisingly, it's another dude. Juan Antonio Bayona is reportedly, along with Drew Barrymore, Paul Weitz, and James Mangold, in the running to helm Eclipse.

  Spaniard Bayona is a protege of Guillermo del Toro and known for his horror work. He received critical acclaim for his Gothic Spanish-language flick The Orphanage, and he's set to make his English-language debut directing the thriller Hater for Universal. With him behind the lens, Eclipse would probably be more of a genre flick than its Twilight predecessors.

  
  

  Posted 03/11/2009 by Hailey

  Related: Drew Barrymore | James Mangold | Paul Weitz | Guillermo del Toro | Juan Antonio Bayona | Twilight | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse | The Orphanage | The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Monday, January 19

• Dominic Monaghan in The Hobbit?

  When it comes to The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Ian McKellen returning as Gandalf or Andy Serkis returning as Gollum seems natural, considering their characters' involvement in the original J.R.R. Tolkein novel, but Dominic Monaghan and his fellow hobbits returning seems odd, since their characters were not even born when The Hobbit takes place. Still, that's precisely what Monaghan revealed to MTV: "They really want us to come back, and I think there's a really strong chance that we might be back."

  The return of Monaghan and company would have to include some serious re-writes, however. "We're not in 'The Hobbit,' no, but I think the idea in [Peter Jackson's and director Guillermo del Toro's] heads is that the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings films was so beloved by the fans that they're really keen to try to say thank you for the support that they gave to the Lord of the Rings movies and possibly bring back some of those characters that they know and love."

  Whether Monaghan and company will appear in The Hobbit or its sequel, which will link the movie to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is uncertain.

  One thing that is is clear is that Serkis is ready to protect his "precious" again as Gollum: "I am going to really be looking forward to it," he told ComingSoon.net, "I mean the combination between [Del Toro] and Peter is extraordinary as well. I know they are writing at the moment."

  
  
  Next Showing: The Hobbit is scheduled for December 2011

  Posted 01/19/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Ian McKellen | Peter Jackson | Dominic Monaghan | Guillermo del Toro | Andy Serkis | The Hobbit | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Friday, January 9

• Ian McKellen Talks Hobbit and Magneto

  In an interview with iFMagazine, Sir Ian McKellen confirmed his involvement with the Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, saying "I have been been promised I'm in it," a mere twelve hours from eating dinner with Hobbit director Guillermo Del Toro.

  As for X-Men Origins: Magneto, the next possible X-Men spin-off, McKellen isn't sold: "If the Wolverine movie does well, they'll probably just do another Wolverine movie." Even if it does, McKellen likely won't be involved: "If they do a spin-off, it would be about the young [Magneto]."

  
  

  Posted 01/09/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Ian McKellen | Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit | X-Men Origins: Magneto

Monday, December 1

• The Hobbit to Start Shooting in 2010

  Director Guillermo del Toro ramps up expectations in an online chat with fans over the weekend in which he reveals that the shooting for his two-part adaptation of The Hobbit will begin in 2010 and will involve an attempt to chart new territory in creature design. The focus, he says, will be on the Goblin Kingdom, the dragon Smaug, and the Spiders of Mirkwood, with the goal of "pushing them to the edge of technology where we will fuse animatronics and CGI into a seamless new art form in creating creatures." Plans are to work with past collaborators from Pan's Labyrinth to Hellboy II to "create and expand a massive universe and be as immersive as the [Lord of the Rings] trilogy was."

  
  

  Posted 12/01/2008 by reelz

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Wednesday, November 12

• Spend an Evening with Guillermo del Toro

  Wanna hang out with Guillermo del Toro? All you need is an internet connection and a Blu-ray player and you can sign up to join the visionary filmmaker as he participates in what's being billed as the "first-ever world premiere live chat" on BD-Live, Sony's interactive network built around its hi-def DVD platform. Del Toro will entertain questions from fans as he showcases the Blu-ray release of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which hit store shelves yesterday. (If you're lucky, maybe he'll even update you on the status of his next project, The Hobbit.)

  The live chat is scheduled for Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 6 p.m. PST. Log on to www.UniversalHiDef.com for more information.

  Available at Amazon.

  
  

  Posted 11/12/2008 by reelz

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Wednesday, July 30

• Del Toro to Produce Don't Be Afraid Remake
  

  Comic artist Troy Nixey (Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, Grendel: Black, White and Red) is set to direct a remake of the cult horror classic Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy II, The Hobbit) will produce under Miramax. The flick is the first horror outing for the studio since the departure of Bob and Harvey Weinstein and their horror-oriented Dimension film banner.
  
  Source: The Hollywood Reporter
  
  
  

  Posted 07/30/2008 by reelz

  Related: Guillermo del Toro

Friday, July 11

• Del Toro on Hellboy II

  Things are coming up nothing but roses these days for Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, with his two-part rendition of The Hobbit underway. But before he goes back to Middle Earth, he went back to Hellboy.

  See what he has to say about Hellboy II: The Golden Army in our interview with Guillermo del Toro. And then go see Hellboy II, in theaters today.

  
  

  Posted 07/11/2008 by reelz

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Tuesday, July 8

• Hellboy II: The Golden Army Review
  

  Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army hits screens nationwide this Friday.
  
  As usual, ReelzChannel.com got an early look at the movie and today we've got the full Hellboy II: The Golden Army review.
  
  
  
  

  Posted 07/08/2008 by reelz

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Monday, July 7

• Del Toro Talks Hobbit
  

  ReelzChannel.com recently spoke with Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro at the press day for Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
  
  The director is pumped to work on the Lord of the Rings prequels and spoke about the projects with Brent Simon. Check out the full del Toro Hobbit talk right here.
  
  
  
  

  Posted 07/07/2008 by reelz

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Thursday, June 12

• Update: The Hobbit Lawsuit
  

  Not so fast Mr. del Toro.
  
  As we reported back in February, the Tolkien estate is suing New Line Cinema (or maybe now Warner Bros.) claiming that New Line still owes Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien, a sizable portion of the profits from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Tolkien is also looking to prevent the filming of the new Hobbit movies under director Guillermo del Toro.
  
  A jury trial date of October 19, 2009 has been set to determine whether Tolkien has the right to block the Hobbit prequels.
  
  Meanwhile, on June 6th a California judge will issue a ruling as to whether New Line still owes money to the Tolkien estate. Tolkien is also seeking to prevent the use of a collection of memoirs entitled "The Silmarillo" as source material for the Hobbit movie.
  
  We'll continue to update you as this story unfolds.
  
  
  
  

  Posted 06/12/2008 by reelz

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit

Thursday, April 24

• It's Official: Guillermo del Toro to Direct Hobbit Flicks

  After months and months of speculation, it's finally been confirmed that Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro has officially signed on to direct both The Hobbit and its as-yet-untitled sequel. Variety reports that del Toro, currently hard at work putting the finishing touches on Hellboy II: The Golden Army, will soon be packing up his belongings and moving to New Zealand, where he'll spend the next four years making the films with the help of Lord of the Rings demigod Peter Jackson and his WETA wizards.

  The recent announcement throws one heck of a monkey wrench into del Toro's already packed schedule of upcoming projects, including a possible third Hellboy movie. Somehow I think the fanboys will find a way to forgive him.

  Source: Variety

  
  

  Posted 04/24/2008 by reelz

  Related: Peter Jackson | Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit | Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Friday, February 22

• New Hellboy comic to debut at WonderCon

  As if you fanboys needed another reason to attend this weekend's WonderCon in San Francisco, Universal announced today that they'll be handing out free copies of Hellboy: The Golden Army, a new comic written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola from a story by director Guillermo del Toro. A prequel of sorts to the highly anticipated Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the 16-page comic explains the rise of the Golden Army, the coalition of bad guys bent on bringing down Hellboy and the rest of the BRPD.

  Three different versions of the comic, each with its own collectible cover, will be handed out at various fanboy events leading up to Hellboy II's July 11th release. The S.F. WonderCon version will feature Liz (pictured above -- click on it for the full-sized version as well as images of Abe and Hellboy). Head over to the official Hellboy II site for a five-page preview of the comic.

  
  

  Posted 02/22/2008 by reelz

  Related: Ron Perlman | Selma Blair | Guillermo del Toro | Doug Jones | Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Monday, January 28

• Welcome to the Shire, Guillermo del Toro

  Lord of the Rings geeks have reason to rejoice this morning. According to the The Hollywood Reporter, fanboy favorite Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) is currently in talks to direct the two-part adaptation of The Hobbit, based on LotR author J.R.R. Tolkien's follow-up to his acclaimed fantasy trilogy. It's a welcome development for Tolkien aficionados, the majority of whom would likely list del Toro as their second choice to helm The Hobbit after LotR director Peter Jackson, who has opted for Executive Producing duties on the highly anticipated pair of films.

  Del Toro is currently hard at work putting the finishing touches on Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, which opens July 11, 2008.

  
  

  Posted 01/28/2008 by reelz

  Related: Peter Jackson | Guillermo del Toro | Hellboy II: The Golden Army | Hellboy | The Hobbit

Thursday, November 8

• Fanboy news: Prince of Persia and Champions

  Disney is eyeing the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time videogame as a possible franchise opportunity. That is to say, the Mouse House is courting Mike Newell to direct a live-action feature based on the game, with hopes of sequels in the future. Newell has franchise experience, having directed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. His latest movie, Love in the Time of Cholera, hits theaters next week.

  And Spanish phenom Guillermo del Toro will be writing, directing and producing a sci-fi action adaptation of Champions, a British TV series from the '60s about 'secret government agents who are rescued from a plane crash by an advanced civilation and given superhuman abilities.' The subject matter is right in the wheelhouse for the director behind Hellboy II and Pan's Labyrinth. Del Toro also produced The Orphanage, a ghost thriller that was chosen as Spain's entry into this year's Best Foreign Film category for the Oscars.

  Source: Variety.

  
  

  Posted 11/08/2007 by reelz

  Related: Guillermo del Toro | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Champions

Monday, November 5

• Check out the concept art for Hellboy II

  Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the long-awaited follow-up to Guillermo del Toro's sleeper hit of 2004, has finally wrapped production in Budapest with a release date set for July 11, 2008. That's quite a long ways away for those of us eager to see Ron Perlman and Doug Jones reprise their signature roles. Thankfully, the folks at Universal have set up a pretty detailed Hellboy II site, featuring some cool concept art, to help tide us over until the big day arrives.

  Catch a glimpse of Hellboy's famous Big Baby Gun and more over at www.hellboymovie.com.

  
  

  Posted 11/05/2007 by reelz

  Related: Ron Perlman | Guillermo del Toro | Doug Jones | Hellboy II: The Golden Army | Hellboy