Yesterday evening (December 10, 2009), Director Guillermo del Toro dropped by the Forum at TheOneRing.net to correct certain assertions made by MTV regarding an interview with Hobbit Producer Peter Jackson. (It was actually Friday afternoon in New Zealand, where, it is assumed, del Toro was while writing his post.) He also shared a few tidbits on how the movies are coming along.

MTV had interpreted Jackson as implying that there are only three possible characters returning from The Lord of the Rings – Gandalf (Ian McKellen, Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). Fans knew that this was absurd since Gollum is an important character in The Hobbit. Del Toro says the news report slants Jackson’s words the wrong way by saying the three are the “only” characters coming back. And he doesn’t see Gollum played by anyone other than Andy Serkis.  

The director explains that when he and Jackson talk about the movies, they are relating circumstances "as they are at the moment."  Things change, and there are still things in the script for the second movie that are under discussion.

Del Toro confirms that even though there is no official “green light,” the process of scouting and designing “under a yellow light of development” continues – nothing has stopped. There is no “trouble brewing with W[arner] B[rothers].”

For del Toro’s entire post on TheOneRing.net’s Forum, see Updates on the updates and general annotations on TH.