Wellington
(ANI):
Sir
Peter
Jackson
may
take
over
as
the
director
of
The
Hobbit,
after
Guillermo
del
Toro
abandoned
the
post
recently.
Jackson
says
he
will
step
in
and
direct
The
Hobbit
himself
if
it
becomes
the
only
way
to
ensure
the
US
150
million
dollars
film
is
made
after
the
sudden
departure
of
director
del
Toro.
Del
Toro
had
quit
due
to
continual
delays
over
the
film"s
making
and
said
his
resignation
was
"the
hardest
decision
I've
ever
taken".
"It
was
simply
longer
than
anyone
expected,
the
fans
and
the
film
makers," he
told
The
Dominion
Post
at
his
Thorndon
home.
It
was
more
a
factor
of
the
other
commitments
asking
for
a
start
[time]
than
The
Hobbit
needing
a
date
to
start,"
Stuff.co.nz
quoted
him
as
saying.
"One
of
my
best
friends
died
about
a
year
ago,"
del
Toro
said.
"The
main
thing
we
have
in
common
was
at
age
11
we
read
The
Hobbit.
We
used
to
spend
many,
many
afternoons
talking
about
how
great
it
would
be
to
make
The
Hobbit
into
a
movie.
So
it
was
very
personal
to
me,"
he
added.
Jackson
said
that
Del
Toro"s
resignation
happened
amicably,
and
that
he
wouldn't
rule
out
directing
The
Hobbit
himself
if
a
suitable
person
could
not
be
found.
"If
that's
what
I
have
to
do
to
protect
Warner
Bros' investment,
then
obviously
that's
one
angle
which
I'll
explore,"
he
said.
But
stepping
in
as
director
would
be
difficult,
as
he
had
signed
writer
and
director
contracts
with
Hollywood
studios
for
two
other
films,
with
one
likely
to
begin
next
year.
Jackson
said
November
was
now
the
earliest
start
date
for
shooting,
but
it
depended
on
finding
the
right
director.
He
said:
"I
just
don't
know
now
until
we
get
a
new
director.
The
key
thing
is
that
we
don't
intend
to
shut
the
project
down.
We
don't
intend
to
let
this
affect
the
progress.
Everybody,
including
the
studio,
wants
to
see
things
carry
on
as
per
normal.
The
idea
is
to
make
it
as
smooth
a
transition
as
we
can."