Peter Jackson wants shot at 'Hobbit'

Posted Monday, December 8, 2003 at 6:00 PM Central

by John Couture

Director Peter Jackson's seven year journey to bring J.R.R. Tolkien's voluminous work The Lord Of The Rings to the big screen is almost over. But, don't think that young director has retired the characters forever.

The final installment, The Return Of The King, is set for release on December 17th and Jackson is hopeful that he will get a chance to return to Middle Earth again. Tolkein's "The Hobbit" is a prequel of sorts set 50 years before the events of The Lord Of The Rings. It features Gollum and the wizard Gandalf, but precious few other characters from the successful trilogy of movies.

Jackson gave Tolkein fans everywhere reason to rejoice and ponder the possibilities when he remarked that he would consider working on a big screen adaptation of "The Hobbit." "I'd be interested in doing it because I think it would give continuity to the overall chapter."

Of course, any prequel would still be many years away. After taking a few weeks off to relax and celebrate the holidays, Jackson begins work on his next project, a remake of King Kong.