Guillermo del Toro
From Tolkien Gateway
Guillermo del Toro (born October 9th, 1964) is an Academy Award-nominated Mexican director. He is set to direct the upcoming New Line Cinema/MGM/Peter Jackson adaptation of The Hobbit.
Del Toro is known for his imaginative visuals; his major works include comic-book adaptations Blade II and Hellboy, and the critically acclaimed El Laberinto del Fauno (Spanish, lit. The Labyrinth of the Faun. Released in English-speaking countries as Pan's Labyrinth).
Although he has stated he 'loved' The Hobbit, Del Toro's lack of knowledge about Tolkien's works has already worried some fans:
- "I tried my best to read Lord of the Rings [sic], the trilogy. I could not. I could not. They were very dense. And then one day, I bought The Hobbit. I read it and I loved it."[1]
- When asked to what extent has the work of Tolkien influenced him:
- "Not at all. I could barely finish "The Hobbit". Curiously, that kind of fantasy, never called out to me. I think that fairy tales are in themselves a different genre. Heroic fantasy, in general, leaves me cold. I am more interested in Robert E. Howard's work of terror than his novels about the muscular Conan. Although there are two writers of fantasy that I think are sublime: Clark Ashton Smith and Lord Dunsany. [Translated from Spanish]"
- ― Guillermo del Toro [2]
- "I was never into heroic fantasy. At all. I don't like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits -- I've never been into that at all. I don't like sword and sorcery, I hate all that stuff."
- ― Salon.com, October 2006 (Interview from May) [3]