Who should direct "The Hobbit"?

[Sauron the White]

This will probably anger some here - but I am used to that - I do feel that those who are expecting a childrens movie of THE HOBBIT are not facing the economic realities of the situation. A childrens movie has less than half the earnings potential of a film made on the same level as the LOTR films. You can scream, moan and cry all you want about what the HOBBIT really is as a book but the harsh and cold financial realities of the film business will rule out on this decision.

Hoepfully, there will be some lighter moments throughout the film that capture some of the more whimsical spirit of the book. I would think that the entrance of the Dwarves in Bag End is one such opportunity that would also make a great scene on the big screen.

It is interesting that many people have jumped on the Del Toro bandwagon because of his directorial work on PANS citing his handling of the fantasy elements. I liked PAN but felt that the fantasy portions were the weaker parts of the film. The far more interesting parts were the story of the Facists in Spain and the people on both sides of that struggle. The fantasy stuff almost seemed to get in the way at times.

Del Toro is a great talent and I look forward to what he can do with THE HOBBIT under the supervision of Jackson and with the cooperation of WETA and others from the earlier films.