Jackson on Hobbit!

It seems after the longest running will he won’t he saga since the dawn of man, that Peter Jackson will in fact be involved in the big screen adaptation of THE HOBBIT! JoBlo.com got an early look at the press release (soon to be distributed to the rest of the medai) that the Academy Award winning director will team up with New Line to produce both THE HOBBIT and a sequel! With the announcement, there was of course, the customary back slapping and whatnot, Jackson saying “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.” But seriously, it has got to be New Line that got the sweetest end of this deal. Jackson can pretty much film himself taking a dump with Andy Serkis playing a CGI turd and the thing will break records.

More details: The two “Hobbit” films – “The Hobbit” and its sequel – are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of “The Hobbit” release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.

Business-wise MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute the two films with New Line handling distribution in North America and MGM internationally.

I wonder who’s gonna direct this thing?!