Well if Peter jackson isn’t going to do it, then Del Toro is a fantastic second choice. But TWO movies? Way to squeeze every last drop out of the franchise New Line.

Guillermo del Toro is directing The Hobbit and its sequel, New Line Cinema announced Thursday.
The 43-year-old filmmaker will move to New Zealand for four years to make the films back-to-back with executive producer Peter Jackson.

Del Toro wrote and directed Pan’s Labyrinth, which earned six Oscar nominations in 2006 and won three awards. He is also the director of the upcoming sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army, whose monsters bear the unmistakeable surreal vision of the Mexican-born filmmaker.

“I am indeed blessed to become a part of the filmmaking community that Peter, Fran and their extraordinary team of collaborators have created in New Zealand,” del Toro said in a statement. “Contributing to the Lord of the Rings legacy is an absolute dream come true.”

Jackson and Walsh called del Toro “a cinematic magician who has never lost his childlike sense of wonder.”