Lord of the Rings fan site TheOneRing.net claim they have inside information naming Neill Blomkamp as the new director of The Hobbit. No announcement has yet been made by the studio to verify but their sources are usually spot on.
So who is Neill Blomkamp? He comes from a background of visual effects and animation and was signed to direct his first movie, the adaptation of the Halo video game but the project died before it started due to lack of funds.
Peter Jackson was to produce Halo but when that movie fell through moved on to make District 9 which was an adaptation of Neill Blomkamp’s short movie ‘Alive in Joburg’
If correct then presumably the appointment of Blomkamp comes from a recommendation from Peter Jackson who both New Line Cinema and MGM have tried to persuade to take over as replacement director.
Although he has little experience it would probably prove difficult to convince a ‘name’ to come in and take over a project that for the most part only requires the actual shooting to complete.
The screenplays are written, the design of the creatures is done, Hobbiton is being rebuilt as we speak and the casting is underway. Would a Sam Raimi or a Tim Burton be happy coming in and finishing off a Guillermo Del Toro movie? Probably not.
An up and coming film maker such as Neill Blomkamp willing to work under the wing of Peter Jackson is probably the only route left to the studios, especially taking into consideration the short notice being given.
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