Del Toro Officially Signs on to Direct The Hobbit

Guillermo del Toro by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage.com
It's officially official! After months of rumored talks (
previously reported here),
Guillermo del Toro has signed on to direct
The Hobbit, the next installment in the
Lord of the Rings series, as well as its sequel, says
Variety.
The director is diving in to his new project full-on: Del Toro is moving to New Zealand for the next four years to work with
LOTR director
Peter Jackson's production teams - ostensibly to learn the ways of Middle Earth at the heart of it all. He also faces a huge amount of material to tackle, as both films, which he's shooting back-to-back, will cover a 60-year period, starting where
The Fellowship of the Ring left off.
Are you pleased with the final directorial choice? Had someone else in mind? Or have you been cheering on del Toro all along?
- Anna Dimond