Over at the site deltorofilms.com and on his Hellboy II forum expected director Guillermo Del Toro is answering fans’ questions sent through email, and some of which have been about The Hobbit. In one response he said:

And, no- no more news on the HOBBIT. Except that I am done reading 3/4 of EVERYTHING JRR Tolkien ever wrote. When I tried to read LOTR at 11 I found it too dense- now at 43 I read them and found them a breeze- BUT I do keep a notepad as I crawl slowly through The Silmarillion - which I find strangely hypnotic and wonderful. I have read so much mythology and mythology / folklore studies in my life and this one is fascinating. I can trace a lot of what Tolkien was doing to Mythologies all over the world (specially Icelandic) BUT he then roots it and re-shapes into a meticulously created Cosmology that is perfect for the Anglo-Saxon world. Brilliant, strong stuff.

Go here to read more questions pertaining to The Hobbit, and if you’d like to question him yourself you can do so by emailing him.