The MGM bankruptcy fiasco continues, as its creditors have provided it with a further extension, meaning the deadline for a resolution is now September 15th. This means that the deadline for a resolution on things like the Hobbit and the next Bond movie have also been pushed back.

Y’know, MGM has had a storied history and all, but if the thing needs to die, just let it die. The thing here is that it has a large back catalogue one which a lot of people want to get their hands.

But due to the delay, the Hobbit lost Guillermo del Toro, and may lose Ian McKellan. Who knows if Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig will be around to deliver the next Bond, as had been planned.

That, ladies and gentlemen, sucks.

The word on the street is that Peter Jackson may end up directing the Hobbit. I have to admit I am ambivalent. I think Mr. Jackson’s achievements with the Lord of the Rings cannot be praised highly enough, though I have stated elsewhere my concerns with the actual adaptation. Given that, I wonder if perhaps Mr. Jackson might have more value as a producer than as a director.

This is the place where George Lucas should have remained. After Star Wars (the original, the one we now know as A New Hope), Mr. Lucas passed on both screenwriting and directing reins to others. He remained the idea man and the producer—the guy who got things done. He did the same for Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Oh, if he had only stayed right there.

I think Lucas’ greatest strengths are as a producer and as an idea man. If someone out there wants to argue the dude has chops with directing, I’ll listen, but I’m sorry I won’t be able to totally hide my amusement or stifle my sniggering.

Jackson might want to do the same thing. King Kong gave me ample justification for this opinion. In all honesty, there was a lot about LotR that hinted at the same.

If Peter Jackson does direct the Hobbit, I have a feeling he’ll do a far superior job to what George Lucas achieved as a director with “the Prequels,” but I believe there are other directors out there who might bring more to the table.

It’s not a done deal, so maybe something will change, but I have the feeling that Jackson will have an easier time finding funding and support if he takes on the mantle himself. It is, after all, a numbers game in Hollywood, and the only numbers that matter have dollar signs attached.

Step back, please. There’s going to be some fiery language.

You have been warned.

3 . . . 2 . . . 1

Mother-f#cker!

Guillermo del Toro is leaving the Hobbit. One of the elements that actually got me excited, something that promised more than what we saw from Lord of the Rings, something that promised the kind of fairy tale darkness that is needed for the Hobbit is gone.

Why?

Because nothing is certain with the Hobbit. The whole MGM bankruptcy bullshit has now leaked into this.

I guess I don’t blame him. Dates that were firm are now questionable. And Guillermo has a lot of projects he can get going on.

The only silver lining in this cloud is that Guillermo continues to contribute to the screenwriting process. At least something of the beautiful genius I saw in Pan’s Labyrinth might make it to the screen.

MGM’s financial woes have not only affected the James Bond franchise, but are also messing with the Hobbit.

I just want to state plainly here that if you can’t get excited about Guillermo del Toro directing a Peter Jackson production of the Hobbit, you either have no soul, or it has been ensnared by Melkor’s machinations.

Anyway, moving along.

Peter Jackson remains confident that the movie will go forward, and del Toro is scouting locations (and being filmed by the “DVD crew” for use as extras on the DVD—that’s thinking ahead!). All that Jackson can say is filming will likely begin this year, probably October or November.

I may have been critical of a fair amount of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, but it was certainly amazing entertainment. The more I divorce it from the books in my head—and they are not only two very different media, they are the products of very different generations and philosophies—the more I can enjoy them. I am a big enough fan of del Toro to know that I really, really want to see his take on the Hobbit, and while I can be patient, I don’t want to have to be that patient!

Can Twitter be trusted? Can Production Weekly be trusted?

If so, then:

Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” is due to begin a 14 month production schedule this June in New Zealand.

I have to go change my pants.