Guillermo: Jackson Not Assit Directing

Guillermo Del Toro reiterated to MTV that while Peter Jackson may be producing and writing The Hobbit, he will not be directing any of it.

Peter Jackson won three Oscars for his work on the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy out of seven nominations. He crafted films that pleased fans, critics, and bean counters alike – films that made something like a bajillion dollars worldwide. He’s the trusted modern face of J.R.R. Tolkien’s revered legendarium.

So given that he’s also working on “The Hobbit” as both a producer and a screenwriter, it’s natural to think that he’ll also step behind the camera at some point as well – to film at least one scene that connects the original trilogy with the two new films.

After all, the man’s earned one last drink from the well, right? He most certainly has, Guillermo Del Toro told MTV News, but that still doesn’t mean he’ll be given the opportunity.

“We talked about it. I normally oppose fully the idea of second unit so my first instinct is no, we will not have second unit on this film,” Del Toro said of whether or not Jackson might at some point get behind the camera. “If there is a scheduling conflict or a problem of that sort, we may consider it, but right now the idea is I shoot everything.”

Listening to Del Toro talk about how “magical” his collaboration with Jackson has been so far, I can’t imagine he wouldn’t reconsider if Jackson wanted to do something brief. Still, for now, there are no plans.