For many of us, this is sad news. The Hobbit seemed like a film that Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy 2) was born to direct . I could only imagine what he could have brought to the land of Middle Earth.

In a press release. del Toro announced that he could no longer commit to the project, which initially began as a 3 year commitment before becoming a 6 year stretch.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life. After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures.”

No word on who might take his place. It would be nice to see Peter Jackson rise to the occasion and return to the director’s chair, but that might not be a possibility either.