Guillermo del Toro himself gives the skinny on where The Hobbit currently stands

ComingSoon just got a hold of a few good nuggets of information and confirmation straight from director Guillermo del Toro regarding THE HOBBIT. Del Toro, while speaking at a press conference for SPLICE (which he produced), had the following to say:

– “It’s not greenlit,” said del Toro, “That’s categorical… We’ve been caught in a very tangled negotiation… There cannot be any start dates until the MGM situation gets resolved. They do hold a considerable portion of the rights.”

– While it could always be a possibility, 3D has apparently been discussed “literally once” and it’s not being planned at this time. The film’s currently been budgeted without 3D in mind.

– ComingSoon says, “Admitting no predictable timeline for a start date, del Toro theorized one possible outcome that would see MGM sharing or selling off the rights. Nevertheless, he feels confident that the film will move forward as soon as a decision is made.” Del Toro added, “We have designed all the creatures,” he said, “We’ve designed the sets and the wardrobe. We have done animatics and planned battles sequences…. We are very, very prepared for when it is finally triggered.”

So there you have it, folks. The next time I or anyone else claims there’s a new start date or a new release date or that Brian Cox will be playing one of the dwarves (seriously, how awesome would that be?)… just ignore them. Until the crap with MGM gets resolved, it’s all moot. But at least it’s good to know that they’re apparently ready to get the ball rolling as soon as it becomes possible.