On April 24th, 2008, New Line, MGM and producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh officially announced that Guillermo del Toro will direct the two-part film adaptation of The Hobbit. The films are slated for release in 2011 and 2012.

Del Toro will spend four years in New Zealand, making the films back to back in conjunction with Peter Jackson's companies, Wingnut and Weta Studios.

The Hobbit is the prequel to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which was directed by Peter Jackson. It takes place 60 years before The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings, and focuses on the hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who journeys through middle earth and battles the dragon, Smaug.