Del Toro Spills About Hobbit Delay

Speaking at the press conference for his latest film Splice, Guillermo del Toro answered questions about the production of The Hobbit by saying that the project has not yet been greenlit because of the financial troubles at MGM and at present does not have a start date.

"It's not greenlit," said del Toro. "That's categorical... We've been caught in a very tangled negotiation... There cannot be any start dates until the MGM situation gets resolved. They do hold a considerable portion of the rights."

Alluding to the fact that the situation might end up being resolved by MGM sharing or selling off the rights to the movie, del Toro nevertheless remains comfident that the film will proceed soon: "We have designed all the creatures... We've designed the sets and the wardrobe. We have done animatics and planned battles sequences.... We are very, very prepared for when it is finally triggered."

Del Toro also responded to rumours that The Hobbit would be released in 3D, saying that, while 3D is a possiblity, it has been discussed "literally once" by the team and is not on the agenda at present, as the current production budget has not been drawn up to include funding for 3D.

Source: Screenrush