[Elladan and Elrohir]

No matter what anyone says, this ain't over yet. Saul Zaentz and MGM have both said multiple times that they want PJ making The Hobbit. I don't know that fan pressure is overwhelming, but I can assure you it's present. I predict New Line waits about six months so as not to appear quite as weak as they otherwise would, and then caves in, settles the suit, and offers the job to PJ. Hello, New Line! Who directed the three highest-grossing films in your history and brought home a truckload of Oscars in the process? Oh yeah, that fat guy from New Zealand. If he directs, TH is guaranteed to be one of the top grossing films of the year.

Honestly, if I knew another director would give TH the same treatment that PJ has given LOTR (i.e., the quality of costumes, sets, weapons, props, casting, score, little details for the fans), I might be OK with a director change. But it's not just PJ that we're losing here. We're losing Fran and Philippa as screenwriters. We're losing Andrew Lesnie as cinematographer. Despite what Richard Taylor says, we're probably losing the brilliance of WETA in weapons, props and visual effects. We're losing the brilliance of another Howard Shore score. We're almost certainly losing Gandalf, oops, I mean Ian McKellen, as well as the greatest Gollum to ever grace the earth, Andy Serkis.

Sure, these people can be replaced (except maybe the latter three). There are other competent people out there, particularly in the areas of writing and cinematography. But are they going to give TH the same TLC that we got with LOTR?

I would be far more willing to put this book in the hands of Peter Jackson and get a violent, epic, LOTR-style PG-13 Hobbit, than put it in the hands of another director, having absolutely no idea what I'm going to get.

Wow, sorry to rant about all this. It's something I feel strongly about. Which is probably why I have to convince myself that when the dust settles, PJ will be directing and everything will be okay. If I'm in heavy denial, I apologize.