Geek favorite Guillermo del Toro (director of Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth) has signed on to direct a feature length version of The Hobbit…and its sequel? Huh? The second film proposes to fill in the gap between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. I’m no Tolkien scholar, but I don’t remember any of his writings expounding on the events of that interregnum. The film could be interesting, but it could also turn into Bilbo Baggins and the Phantom Menace. The LotR trilogy worked because the scripts borrowed and oftentimes strengthened the best elements of the books. Without the firm footing of existing material, the sequel could descend into fanboy flights of fancy, like Bilbo hooking up with some Elven warrior princess hottie.
