Club Jade

While most seem happy, not every Ringer is thrilled that del Toro will be directing The Hobbit and its yet to be determined sequel (that might or might not fill in the space between The Hobbit and the start of the Lord of the Rings trilogy).

Andrew O’Hehir over on Salon is vexed that del Toro, a man who once told him he doesn’t like swords and sorcery, let alone “little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits,” will helm the effort to bring Tolkien’s classic book to life. Kristin Thompson, of The Frodo Franchise fame, disagrees.

Meanwhile, on MTV, del Toro seeks to reassure fans and talks about his vision of the project. And, no, he won’t tell you how Smaug will appear.