Peter Jackson tells how much of Del Toro's vision is left in The Hobbit

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I found this interesting...

Originally Posted by PJ

I looked at his designs when he took over and a lot of his designs are very Guillermo . . . it was very much stuff that you would recognize from Pan's Labyrinth or Hellboy. It was his artistic vision and I couldn't make that movie. I looked at his designs and I said the only person who can make a Guillermo Del Toro movie is Guillermo. It shouldn't be me. I can't put my head into somebody else's idea — I have to generate it from the beginning. So really I redesigned the film pretty much.

Link to article with video here

So what GdT was trying to do was something altogether different than the PJ version of ME. Although I can't really blame PJ for making it his own way it is a shame we couldn't see an alternative interpretation, for ill (unlike many others here Pan's Labyrinth didn't leave me with much of an impression) or good.

And like someone says in the commentators field. Couldn't someone please leak some of the GdT material to the internet!?

[Inziladun]

Since they were determined to do the Hobbit movie, full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes, I'd have much preferred a different take than Jackson's. I've already seen what he does with adaptations of books he "likes". I don't hold much hope for a movie based on a book for which PJ has expressed less respect.

[Bêthberry]

Hmm. Rather makes one wonder if the long delay which finally forced Del Toro to leave was not in fact a strategy designed to do just that.

My guess is that if we are ever to see the stuff, it will be some time after the movies have been released.

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Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Hmm. Rather makes one wonder if the long delay which finally forced Del Toro to leave was not in fact a strategy designed to do just that.

Oh yes, that thought struck me too. The production company gets cold feet when they see that GdT's designs and script differ to a great degree from how LoTR looked and played; and they deem that they can't take that risk in a very difficult financial market, so they make sure GdT is forced out and get Peter Jackson back in to deliver his "prequel to LoTR", trying to cash in as much as possible on a tried and tested story and concept.

[Mithalwen]

Hmm however the Law suit was a delaying factor and not one the studios would have contrived. But given how tight the belts were - so much so that even the Bond film was delayed they probably had a strong preference for old formulas.

Maybe too having decided not to direct originally in order to film "The Lovely Bones" which got at best fairly luke warm reviews, Jackson might have been keen to return to a successful for him formula too.