Brief Hobbit update

[Lairënuriel]

from the Los Angeles Times yesterday:
The 'Rings' team returns to write 'The Hobbit' with Guillermo del Toro
06:09 PM PT, Aug 19 2008
 The essential pieces of "The Hobbit" are falling into place.

The latest announcement confirms the rumor that Peter Jackson and his "Lord of the Rings" screenplay collaborators, Fran Walsh (Jackson's wife) and Phillipa Boyens, will be returning to write the new scripts with director Guillermo del Toro.

That's a lot of top-name talent huddled around the keyboard at once. Will their egos gel successfully enough to recapture the success of the "Rings" trilogy?

The new films are based on J.R.R. Tolkein's prequel to "Lord of the Rings" about Frodo's uncle Bilbo, played in the "Rings" films by Ian Holm, and his first encounter with the wizard Gandalf and his discovery of the all-powerful ring.

The book will be broken into two movies, filmed simultaneously, with the first to be released in 2011.

-- Patrick Kevin Day

[Beren One-Hand]

Always good to hear any news pertaining to the Hobbit films, but I had hoped something would be released sooner - 2009 or 2010.  Oh well, I guess we just have to be patient.