Del Toro Moves on to Greener Pastures

By Chris Kavan - 05/31/10 at 10:47 AM CT

Just days after announcing The Hobbit was going on indefinite hiatus, now the film is losing its director. Guillermo del Toro, behind Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy series, has left the director's chair for The Hobbit.

I always thought del Toro would be a good fit for the fantasty. He has a darker vision that would balance out the more childish aspect to book. When compared to the Lord of the Ring, Hobbit is a much lighter novel, and one that needs a bit of darkness to make it seem heavier.

With del Toro out, although he's still helping write, it's anyone's guess who will step up. One possible candidate is Sam Raimi, who was vying for the job before del Toro was chosen, or it could go to a third as yet unknown director.

Whatever the choice, The Hobbit, like the next Bond, remains in film limbo while MGM figures out its own problems.