Del Toro in talks to helm Hobbit films

Washington, Jan 29 : 'Pan's Labyrinth,' 'Hellboy' director Guillermo del Toro is reportedly in talks to direct back-to-back epics adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'.

Peter Jackson, director of the outstandingly successful 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, will be producing the New Line Cinema and MGM movie.

Del Toro's name has always been at the top of the franchise's directorial wish list since Jackson, MGM and New Line reached an agreement to team on the project.

"I've heard some rumblings, but nothing official," E! Online quoted del Toro, as telling Entertainment Weekly.

"I don't want to think about it because it's such an eventuality. It's the only Tolkien book I read...I read it and I loved it. So it would be a privilege," he added.

Del Toro and Jackson would oversee the writing of two scripts once the strike ends.

The two 'Lord of the Rings' prequels would be shot back-to-back starting in 2009, with the trade paper estimating a 150 million dollars budget for each projection.

The first film would hit theatres in 2010, followed by a second in 2011.

ANI