Finally — “Hobbit” Production Crew Assembled

It’s now official. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have really signed on to collaborate with director Guillermo del Toro for the LOTR prequel “The Hobbit.” They have also opted to be a part of that film’s untitled sequel, which will begin production right after “The Hobbit” wraps.

Jackson, Walsh and Boyens will serve as executive producers while New Line’s Toby Emmerich will hold the purse strings.

“The Hobbit” and then its sequel will begin filming in the latter-half of 2009 with a tenative release date set for 2011 and 2012 respectfully.

As in the J. R. R. Tolkien novel, “The Hobbit” centers on a young Bilbo Baggins and his adventures with the great wizard Gandalf the Gray (Ian McKellan) in search of a hidden treasure. The second “Hobbit” film comes from many of the notes left behind by Tolkien and some of Jackson’s own imagination, and will fill in the 60-year gap between the time of Tolkien’s Hobbit story and the events beginning “Lord of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring.”

Several studios will be joining New Line in the production of these two films including Warner Bros. for U.S. distribution and MGM handling international distribution.