Guillermo Del Toro should Direct THE HOBBIT

Hey everyone!
This is Falcon...I hope you had a great weekend! Okay, this one has crossed my desk one too many times, and there seems to be some negotiating going on that is causing some doubt as to whether GDT will in fact direct JRR Tolkien's "The Hobbit', set to be released in 2011, with a kind of Red Book of Westmarch connector film to "Fellowship" in 2012.

I am going to keep this simple: Guillermo should direct the films, period. He is immensely talented. He has a bunch of Oscars, and he is a truly passionate student of mythology and lore.

Yes, I am one of those hard-core Tolkien fans that can barely watch the theatrical version of "The Two Towers" because about 80 minutes into the film it takes a hard right turn into the proverbial woods, breaks an axle, and never comes out of the dark corner of ridiculous revision again. The Battle at Helm's Deep saved me from actually leaving the theatre the first time I viewed it in a press screening. There is a difference between artistic license and derailing the plot. There is plenty in that particular middle-child project that suffered immensely from a misunderstanding, or an uninformed impression of how Middle-earth functions, which led to major plot flaws that should have never happened. Everyone knows it; this is the 9000 pound gorilla in the living room...(wow, I guess that film was the next project, wasn't it?)

I know that in the hands of GDT, The Hobbit would be safe from this kind of chicanery. He is well-informed, creative, sensual, and most of all, sees the wisdom of writers' myth as sacred and would never play with it. He has the skill and tenacity to adapt a book without violating its content.

I have every confidence that he would do these projects justice of the highest measure, if simply allowed to do so.

He seems ready to get started. Hopefully, in the near future, we will her a confirmation of his signing on to direct the films. MGM/New Line/Warner Bros. should be extremely happy to have him, and celebrate this blessing.