Now it gets serious. Even though his agent says he’s too busy, Warner Bros. and MGM are still pursuing Peter Jackson to direct the Hobbit movies, for which he co-wrote the scripts, following Guillermo del Toro’s exit two weeks ago, reports Mike Fleming. How bad do they want him to take this job? So bad that they are basically threatening to offer it to Fred Claus director David Dobkin or BRETT RATNER if he doesn’t — Fleming’s sources tell him both Dobkin and Ratner are “interested in replacing del Toro.†Deadline also confirms yesterday’s reports that completely acceptable Half-Blood Prince helmer David Yates has thrown his hat in the ring, too, but don’t you dare test them, Jackson.
Two Studios Trying To Talk Peter Jackson Into Helming ‘The Hobbit’ Films (Say Yes!) [Deadline]