The rumored passing of the directing torch to Sam Raimi on The Hobbit has gained some momentum as the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Raimi has been telling associates and executives at Sony that he is thinking of directing the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

 

No deal has yet been made with the director and executives at New Line have stated that Raimi has yet to meet with CEO Bob Shaye who has publicly stated that "[Peter Jackson] will never make any movie with New Line Cinema again while I'm still working at the company." MGM however, who own distribution rights to the film, are standing behind Jackson. "We support Peter Jackson and when the dust settles, we believe he is the one who will be making this movie," said an MGM spokesperson.

 

The Hobbit tells the story of how Bilbo Baggins first discovers the magical ring and features other Lord of the Rings characters as Gandalf and Gollum. Ian McKellen, who portrayed Gandalf in the Rings trilogy, has stated he would not reprise his role in The Hobbit if Jackson wasn't helming the picture.