This is not an old image from Weta’s archive somewhere. It’s released just minutes ago, and what these individuals are looking at is a new sculpture: one promised to be at Comic-Con. (click to see the entire photo)

And while we haven’t a good idea of just what this object d’mystery is (looks awfully much like a steed, dunnit?), it should warm the hearts of any SSW collector to see Richard Taylor, John Howe, and fan-fave sculptor, Brigitte Wuest, huddled around any particular lump of clay, sculpey, chavant or wax, no matter how pixelated it happens to be.

Which brings me to my pet speculation that The Hobbit may just have its official coming out party at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Let’s play CSI and “follow the evidence” shall we?

• Peter Jackson will attend SDCC this year for the first time, officially, to promote District 9 (Neil Blomkamp’s film which he is producing). Surely he could spare a seat for Mr. Del Toro as well on the charter jet out of New Zealand?
• theonering.net, via an MTV news story, has reported that casting for Bilbo will be announced in “a couple of weeks” (we’re liking Michael Sheen here at the [[AP]])
• And finally we have this teaser from Weta Collectibles– and while it’s no big shock to see Weta honcho RT pictured with any statue, the presence of a Mr. John Howe certainly gives it much Tolkien flavored intrigue, though it is acknowledged that Mr. Howe is a designer with great versatility (and thus not guaranteeing this Hobbit-related). Brigitte Wuest can take credit for sculpting some of the most acclaimed of Sideshow Weta collectibles, and if this is indeed a Hobbit statue, you can bet it will be welcomed with open arms.

I’ve long dismissed the idea that a Weta collectible could serve amongst the first glimpses of this long anticipated film, but think how often leaks from big name films come courtesy of ill-begotten toy packaging scans nowadays. And if James Cameron can serve up a good bit of Avatar for a video game, why not have Weta Collectibles at the front line of Hobbit hype? If I were running Weta Collectibles I would be lobbying hard for it!

Regardless of how far off the mark this all might be (the timing still seems impossibly early), it’s exciting that the cogs it seems are really beginning to spin. Let’s party like it’s 1999, shall we?

Here’s an oldie but goodie. Kind of an obscure item both cinematically speaking and in collectible-dom as well. What you’re looking at here is the haunting Santi and Bomb statue from Sideshow. Based on one of Guillermo Del Toro’s earlier films, The Devil’s Backbone.

I fell in love with this one right away and even had an order lined up back in the day. Alas, finances did not pan out and Santi left my grasp– judging by its value of late– forever it seems. Sure, GDT’s stock has since gone way up, but are we seeing a genuine indication of its worth or some other sort of fluke? Surely the edition size of 100 does help to support the case, but we are ultimately looking at a 747% appreciation, folks!

And while its got Sideshow’s name on it, Weta can at least claim co-parentage as the piece was sculpted by Weta Workshop’s Greg Tozer and Mary Machlachlan. Ah the one(s) that got away…

Valuation: +747%

(See latest completed Ebay auctions)

The hilarious, affable and sincere key holder to the Tolkien film franchise discusses Hellboy, Halo, Weta, The Hobbit, how Pan is a fraud and why he’s on edge when having tea with Doug Jones!

Guillermo Del Toro: Thank you very much, here I am to answer anything you want to ask or throw shit at me, whatever you want. I’m here. Thank you very much for coming, and let’s proceed. Read the rest of this entry »

One fuzzy bespectacled visionary for another. That’s what is being reported by The Hollywood Reporter this morning, and fans being fans, are running with it as a done deal.

Guillermo del Toro is in talks to direct back-to-back installments of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”….Principal photography for the films, which will be shot simultaneously, is tentatively set for 2009. The production budget is estimated at $150 million per film. The release of the first film is slated for 2010 and the second in 2011.

I’d be delighted should it come to pass. Guillermo was always my top choice in the instance that PJ were to decline the reins himself– and I’ve firmly suspected this would be the case ever since the big Hobbit announcement broke a month ago. It strikes me as even more exciting a prospect, to have a fresh cinematic take on Tolkien with Jackson’s hands still very much in the stew. This won’t -can’t- be less than anything of a collaboration; a double dose of geekiness straight to the veins

The mishmash of each director’s roster of players is salivating too– Doug Jones and Andy Serkis working together with Weta? Yes please. “You KNOW that Doug Jones is gonna be something awesome in this“, says Harry at AICN. Can’t argue with that.

Jackson and Del Toro are two peas in a mischievious movie-making pod. I can’t wait to see what emerges when they dip their collective hands into Gandalf’s wagon.

• The story breaks at The Hollywood Reporter
• Harry Knowles blabs about blabbing with GDT
• theonering.net’s take– where readers voted GDT second place

Hellboy is cool and all, but what’s next for you Guillermo? Something more furry and height-challenged?

• Hellboy II: The Golden Army trailer
• Guillermo on The Hobbit: “like, I dunno”