A "creative paycheck" gig for Del Toro?

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Having delighted at the aesthetic development and career-growth arc of the great Guillermo del Toro over the last 15 years (i.e., from 1993's Cronos to Hellboy 2), I'm a tiny bit sorry to read that he's on the verge of taking a job to direct back-to-back installments of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, according to the Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit.

Guillermo will do an excellent job, I'm sure, for his employers -- producer Peter Jackson and New Line and MGM -- and the fans will be with him, but cranking out two more Tolkien movies after the Lord of the Rings trilogy...yeesh. Where is the genuine hunger to see these films made beyond the New Line stockholders who will profit from them? Del Toro is an old soul who's capable of much, much more than taking what amounts to a "creative paycheck" job of this sort and playing the jolly maestro for a symphony that has already been written, played and, in a literary sense, digested. Where is the discovery or the challenge for Del Toro in doing this?

At best he'll get the kind of thumbs-up critical responses that Alfonso Cuaron got from directing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is to say he'll get points for not making a cookie-cutter Peter Jackson movie -- for inserting his own sense of narrative precision and visual style. I don't want to say that a job like this is "strictly about making money and treading water" because I'm not privvy to the creative particulars, but it sure feels like this from my corner. Maybe I'm wrong but I can tell you this -- Del Toro's business manager is a lot happier about this deal than I am.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on January 28, 2008 at 12:05 PM

comment #1

Rich S. says ...

I'm sort of torn about this. I thought Pan's Labyrinth was one of the best movies of the last five years, maybe ten. At the same time, while I liked his "bigger" film, Hellboy, I didn't think it had the same flair as PL or Jackson's LOTR.

I think he'll do a fine job, maybe an exceptional job, but I wish Jackson would just bite the bullet and do it himself.

And I think The Hobbit has the potential to be something very special as it is far more self contained than LOTR. I don't know what they're thinking trying to squeeze two movies out of The Hobbit and the LOTR prequel.

Posted by Rich S. at January 28, 2008 12:40 PM

comment #2

berkguru says ...

another hobbit dorkfest zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

i couldnt get through 5 minutes of Pan's Labyrnth without shutting it down

Posted by berkguru at January 28, 2008 12:46 PM

comment #3

Dan Revill says ...

Wait Wells, weren't you the guy who said it would be best for Del Toro to do these films?

Posted by Dan Revill at January 28, 2008 12:48 PM

comment #4

p.Vice says ...

Aesthetic development? Try aesthetic retardation. The man is in the business of making comic book movies and sequels for the suits, not developing original material. Any filmmaker worth a damn would be pursuing a project with creative potential like, say, At the Mountains of madness, not attempting to sell your career to the devil like Peter Jackson did.

Posted by p.Vice at January 28, 2008 12:53 PM

comment #5

thorsen1nk says ...

Though you and I agree about movies 95% of the time, wells, you're dead wrong on this one. The Hobbit is arguably more popular than LOTR, given the fact it's actually readable in a few sittings. There's also the whole Gen X crowd who grew up on the Rankin-Bass animated version who'd love to see it done properly.

I'm also curious why you'd be disappointed by this news. Del Toro deserves to be in the top rank of directors and this will send him there. It will also let the world see his take on Middle-earth, which might even be more fantastical than Jackson's. Personally I am stoked beyond belief.

Posted by thorsen1nk at January 28, 2008 12:54 PM

comment #6

DarthCorleone says ...

Jeff, despite your incredulity, there is a widespread hunger to see a film adaptation of The Hobbit, and it's not just from the New Line stockholders. You are aware of the box office on the first three films - three films each three hours in length, no less? You might not have enjoyed them, but some of us did, and some of us were big fans of these books as kids. I'm willing to bet that Del Toro is a Tolkien fan too. So, by all means continue with the snarky remarks, as I enjoy agreeing to disagree with you on this matter, but don't doubt for a second that the "hunger" to see these films made does transcend New Line's profits.

Posted by DarthCorleone at January 28, 2008 12:57 PM

comment #7

Mumbleboy says ...

Jeff - I would say that there is a huge desire for these films to be made from the fans of the LOTR movie trilogy and the fans of the books. I would imagine that Del Toro wouldn't take on the job if he wasn't invested in the material in some way. He hasn't taken any true paycheck jobs since his interests really match with the stories he's told. Even Mimic was of interest to him, if not to the movie going public.

Rich - From what I've gathered, they'll be using The Hobbit and all of the additional writings that Tolkien had done to fill in the connection between the earlier story and the massive trilogy that followed. There is enough ideas put down by Tolkien to keep churning out movies for decades to come. It would just take fleshing out the bits he only hinted at. Not that I would want to see that happen, I just want to see the battle of the five armies brought to life.

Now I just need to lay off the Ambien so I can live long enough to get to see the story realized.

I wish these message boards would allow you to click a poster's name and see all of what they've written like HuffPost does. It would make it easier to see who has specific opinions and who is negative just for the sake of negativity. Who are the trolls and who are the ones with something to actually say.

Posted by Mumbleboy at January 28, 2008 12:59 PM

comment #8

actionman says ...

I don't want to see ANY filmmaker make these films. I had no use for LOTR, so I will have utterly no use for The Hobbit.

Posted by actionman at January 28, 2008 1:00 PM

comment #9

Krazy Eyes says ...

Maybe I haven't been paying attention . . . but why isn't Jackson directing these himself? Then I could just avoid the Hobbit flicks while looking forward to Del Toro's next feature. Now I'll be torn.

Posted by Krazy Eyes at January 28, 2008 1:19 PM

comment #10

Breedlove says ...

As I've mentioned before, I did see an interview with Guillermo recently where he said he reads this site every day. So Guillermo, if you're reading this: Jeff's right. Don't waste 5 years of your prime making sequels to somebody else's franchise. Come up with your own stuff!!! You'll sleep better at night, trust me.

Posted by Breedlove at January 28, 2008 1:24 PM

comment #11

storymark says ...

If Del Toro does read this site, he probably already knows its not the best place to guage interest levels for a Rings film.

For my part, I think this is great news. This news makes me much more excited at the prospects of a Hobbitt movie than anything else.

Posted by storymark at January 28, 2008 1:33 PM

comment #12

lazarus says ...

While I'd prefer Del Toro to keep working on his own stuff (including the Lovecraft adaptation that p.Vice mentioned, if they HAVE to do these Middle Earth prequels, I'd rather it be him than anyone else, and that's including Jackson.

Isn't this better news than finding out Sam Raimi is doing them?

Posted by lazarus at January 28, 2008 1:34 PM

comment #13

Balerion says ...

I'd love to see a good Hobbit movie, actually. I do think, as others note, that there is a hunger from fans to be transported off to Middle Earth again by a skilled director and some great actors.

The second film proposed, not so much, since it's the filmic equivalent of fan fic.

Posted by Balerion at January 28, 2008 1:41 PM

comment #14

Monument says ...

"You'll sleep better at night, trust me."

He's going to be sleeping very, very well, on a really nice pillow and a luxurious mattress on top of a big ass pile of money.

Posted by Monument at January 28, 2008 1:41 PM

comment #15

Geoff says ...

It was inevitable that I would have to deal with HOBBIT fans all over again. But 2 films?

Darth Vader in Episode III:

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

Posted by Geoff at January 28, 2008 1:54 PM

comment #16

Sean says ...

"but why isn't Jackson directing these himself?"

His stated reason is that he wouldn't have time to even start working on it before 2010 or so, and then it would take several years from there.

However, reading between the lines, I don't think he wants to direct another movie for New Line.

Posted by Sean at January 28, 2008 2:16 PM

comment #17

BurmaShave says ...

So, to be clear:

You hate Speilberg, but love Zemeckis. You hate Ed Zwick, but you love Phillip Noyce. Amd you hate Peter Jackson, but you love Guillermo Del Toro?

Can you see where some of us would find this inconsistent? It's about the people, not the filmmaking style. Some of the worst people who've ever lived have been genius filmmakers, and most of the guys you hate are very decent guys. God forbid we allowed personal feelings to get in the way.

Posted by BurmaShave at January 28, 2008 2:36 PM

comment #18

Ron Lim says ...

Jeff, when are you going to get it through your head that del Toro is a bonafide GEEK. He does this fantasy flicks because he LIKES them, not just for any paycheck.

Also, I'm not a Tolkien nerd, but I did enjoy all three LOTR flicks and would love to see a Hobbit movie, though I'm not sure why we need TWO of them other than to make some moolah.

Posted by Ron Lim at January 28, 2008 2:55 PM

comment #19

Meegosh says ...

Couldn't they have just decided to make it two movies so it wouldnt have to be 3.5 hours long? The Hobbit is just as big as any of the trilogy books. Why not just split it in two and have two hour and 45 min movies. They make more money from two movies that are shorter and thus more play times, AND we don't have to endure a Middle Earth movie that New Line just pulled out of their ass.

Posted by Meegosh at January 28, 2008 3:20 PM

comment #20

Monument says ...

Supposedly the second movie will be a bridge between the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy based on Tolkien's unpublished notes. Just what I've heard.

Posted by Monument at January 28, 2008 3:25 PM

comment #21

berg says ...

I thought Del Toro had TARZAN, THE APE MAN on his plate first?

Posted by berg at January 28, 2008 3:31 PM

comment #22

Spicer says ...

Who cares if it's a paycheck job? It's a paycheck job that will allow him to get pretty much anything he wants made for the foreseeable future. Don't we respect actors when they do a "one for them, one for me" thing with the projects they choose?

Posted by Spicer at January 28, 2008 4:06 PM

comment #23

carla kolchak says ...

'I'm willing to bet that Del Toro is a Tolkien fan too.'

Posted by: DarthCorleone

He has said that he liked The Hobbit, but couldn't get into the rings trilogy.

I'm a huuuuge GDT fan, and I hope this is just a rumour 'cause I have absolutely zero interest in seeing him spend all that time making a Hobbit adaptation. In two freakin' parts. Bleah.

Posted by carla kolchak at January 28, 2008 4:47 PM

comment #24

MattyC says ...

"The Hobbit is just as big as any of the trilogy books" -Meegosh

I gather it's been a while since you've actually read The Hobbit, eh? One could get through it in a couple of hours, were one so inclined. Fellowship or Towers? Not so much.

Posted by MattyC at January 28, 2008 4:56 PM

comment #25

D.Z. says ...

Jeff: It's Cronos.

Geoff: Well, Lucas's best Star Wars film is considered to be the one he only produced, sooo...

Burma: Nothing wrong with Zemeckis. I think people remember Back to the Future and Forrest Gump a lot more than Minority Report and Always.

Anyway, I'm still waiting for Del Toro to adapt Domu.

Posted by D.Z. at January 28, 2008 6:19 PM

comment #26

jeffmcm says ...

So what's the matter with Cronos?

DZ: Shut up.

Posted by jeffmcm at January 28, 2008 7:33 PM

comment #27

DarthCorleone says ...

carla>> Now that you mention it, I do remember reading that quote. Regardless, I think Ron Lim's point is the relevant one: Del Toro is very much a fantasy geek, and it should come as no surprise that he would be interested in directing The Hobbit.

D.Z. >> And I think people remember Jaws and E.T. more than Back To The Future and Forrest Gump. See how that works? Very silly and arbitrary.

Posted by DarthCorleone at January 28, 2008 9:56 PM

comment #28

futureman says ...

Del Toro seems to do half new material, half comic/fanboy stuff, so The Hobbit seems like its up his alley. If he gets the same push that Peter Jackson got, Del Toro will get carte blanche for 4 or 5 films.

Posted by futureman at January 28, 2008 10:32 PM

comment #29

carla kolchak says ...

'If he gets the same push that Peter Jackson got, Del Toro will get carte blanche for 4 or 5 films'
Posted by: futureman

And this may very well be the main reason why he's (maybe?) keen to do this--so he can get his long-dreamed-of adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness made.

Is it just my imagination, or does it seem like his name gets attached to something new every other week?

Posted by carla kolchak at January 29, 2008 4:52 AM

comment #30

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