It's official....Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema has officially ended their feud and Jackson has agreed to write and produce the Hobbit. This is fantastic news. Personally I never thought it would happen because of the public comments made by one of the New Line executives about a year or so ago. One of the executives said that Peter Jackson would never do the Hobbit but I suspect there was just too much money on the table in the end to follow through with their threat...and... personally I don't care...all is forgiven. Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh are the right team for this project because they possess both the vision and the passion for such a monumental task. I have supreme confidence Jackson will pull this off even though the film industry has been suffering a slump the last couple of years at the box office.....Apparently Jackson will not direct the film which has led to numerous rumors about who will direct the film. Two names that have come up several times are Sam Raimi who directed Spider Man and Guillermo del Toro who directed Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth. Both men have expressed interest if approached. Personally, I hope Del Toro gets the nod. Pan's Labyrinth is an incredible film and Del Toro has deep roots in fantasy and fairy tales. The Hobbit will have a sequel which is scheduled to be released in 2010 and 2011...and...like the Lord of the Rings the two films will be shot simultaneously....I can't wait....and I look forward to following this story for the next couple of years and I'll pass along the latest news when I hear it....