Peter Jackson will be suffering from exhaustion any day now

Hobbbit

Peter Jackson has finally been confirmed as director of the two overdue film adaptations of The Hobbit. As if you didn’t know.

When will we be put out of our misery? After months of rumours, scuffles, drop-outs and new additions we’re still no closer to knowing when The Hobbit will start shooting. If ever. The last we heard was that once Peter Jackson reluctantly agreed to helm the project, MGM’s money troubles set them back even more. So what’s the latest?

The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has been jetting round the world to meet with potential cast members of The Hobbit.

It’s the news that Shire-fans have been waiting for ever since Guillermo Del Toro pulled out of directing The Hobbit. It looks like big dog Peter Jackson is now in talks with MGM as to whether he’d be suitable to direct the two-part epic. Currently he’s credited as a producer – as well as helping pen the script along with his faithful fellowship of Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens – but it looks like everyone involved is straining to get him in the big boy chair.

Before you all start huffing and puffing and weeping and setting things on fire, just calm down a second. This isn’t so much news as it is speculation. It has emerged today that Percy Jackson aka Logan Lurman has begun “talks” with Spidey producers Columbia Pictures. Word on the street is that he’s being considered for the main role in the Spiderman reboot. And we all know what you’re thinking. Who in bananas is Logan Lurman?

No doubt Lord of the Rings geeks worldwide already worship him as a god among men, but Peter Jackson will henceforth be known by a more concrete title – he’s been knighted in New Zealand’s latest New Year’s Honours list.

On December 11th, The Lovely Bones gets a limited release Stateside, with the full shebang rolling out a whole month later on the 15th. Over in the land of Blightly, we’ll get our fill of Peter Jackson’s latest a full six weeks later on January 29th, pretty much last in the world release queue. Not that we should feel maligned – the release date has been endlessly shunted about (it was originally slated for March 2008), ostensibly to ensure The Lovely Bones a spot on the Oscars shortlist.

Seeing director leviathans Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Peter Jackson reduced to giggling, bright-eyed fanboys gushing over Ray Harryhausen is quite something. They have good reason to go weak at the knees – Ray Harryhausen Special Effects Titan is a fascinating insight into the life’s work of one man with a love of animation in his DNA.