Del Toro has certainly made a few comic movies along the lines of Raimi (Blade 2 and Hellboy spring to mind), but his reputation is primarily founded on his dark, stunning Spanish-language fantasies like The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth. Both these movies show a level of technical and thematic sophistication that is perfect for the The Hobbit. Not to mention the fact that like Jackson, Del Toro is a self-confessed fantasy geek who has a deep and well-founded love of that genre as well as traditional storytelling. He will get as much pleasure from the thematic and narrative complexities of The Hobbit as he will from the adventurous and exciting aspects of the story. This crucial duality is what made Jackson’s films so special and makes Del Toro a perfect fit for the universe. He will have access to Jackson’s Weta special effects house and all the technical advantages and artistic freedom that Peter enjoyed, making it almost impossible to imagine that Del Toro will produce anything that can’t compare to The Lord Of The Rings.

Of course, the success of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy was not simply the result of an ingenious filmmaker and stunning special effects. The talented cast assembled for the first movies played a vital role in making the series believable. Given that many of the characters from those films also appear in The Hobbit, it would have been quite difficult to replace them. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be a problem. It has just been announced that Ian McKellen will be reprising his iconic performance as the great wizard Gandalf, while Andy Serkis will once again play the unforgettable Gollum. Locking up these two actors is a big step forward in ensuring that the new movies will live up to the lofty standards set by the original trilogy. They will help provide continuity between the films and also guarantee that at least two of the performances in the movies will be outstanding. Other major characters from The Lord Of The Rings who appear in The Hobbit do so only fleetingly, so signing those actors on is not as important at the moment (with the exception of the problematic role of Bilbo, a protagonist in The Hobbit, but merely a supporting player in The Lord Of The Rings. Ian Holm did a wonderful job playing the character in Jackson’s movies, but his character is much younger in this story, so perhaps recasting is in order).