Guillermo del Toro, the acclaimed Mexican filmmaker behind box office hits Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, has opted out of the big-budget prequels to the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy — a two-part adaptation of Tolkien's The Hobbit — after two years of pre-production work and repeated delays due to financial problems at MGM. Was the filmmaker right to walk away from The Hobbit? (Watch an AP report about Del Toro's decision)
This sinking ship needed to be abandoned: "It's hard to fault Del Toro here," says Josh Tyler at Cinema Blend. He took the job two years ago, putting "his entire life on hold to move to New Zealand and immerse himself in Middle Earth." But with MGM's looming bankruptcy forestalling the shoot again and again, he had no choice but to move on. It seems the whole project is "doomed to spend eternity in development hell."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.