Guillermo Del Toro Leaves Adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit

Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro has decided not to direct an upcoming adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s beloved novel, The Hobbit.

Here’s Del Toro’s statement at OneRing.net: “In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life … After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures.”

Del Toro (pictured) directed the live-action adaptation Hellboy and the award winning Pan’s Labyrinth. He was also the co-author of the vampire novel, The Strain.