Article: 'Hobbit' honcho.(Guillermo del Toro )

In a major step forward on "The Hobbit," Guillermo del Toro has signed on to direct the New Line-MGM tentpole and its sequel.

The widely expected announcement--which had been rumored for several weeks--came on Thursday afternoon jointly from exec producers del Toro Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, New Line president Toby Emmerich and Mary Parent, newly named chief of MGM's Worldwide Motion Picture Group.

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Del Toro's moving to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Jackson and his Wingnut and Weta production teams. He'll direct the two films back to back, with the sequel dealing with the 60-year period between "The ...

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