A little bit like Zack Snyder agreeing to create Watchmen, Guillermo del Toro must be thinking himself crazy to sign up to create The Hobbit and its sequel. But according to the director of the Hellboy movies, a second movie is not necessarily a done deal.

Speaking before the premiere of Hellboy II: The Golden Army at the Los Angeles Film Festival, del Toro said that, “We believe there is a second movie. If there isn’t, there will not be. If we find it, we will shoot it, but by God, if we do not find it, we will not shoot it. I am anxious to shoot the book, and I’m willing and able to dedicate myself to shooting [the second film]. It is too early right now to say.”

This shows a dedication to making the film right, and not just for money’s sake — that inspires me. I don’t necessarily take it as truth, but it’s nice to hear it at least.

Another fan of the books hoping that del Toro does it right is Doug Jones, a toady of del Toro, and similarly a fan. He portrayed Abe Sapien in Hellboy (and will reprise the role in Hellboy II). He’s hoping to play King Thranduil, the Elven King that appears in The Hobbit.

“There’s been lots of speculation. I wouldn’t want to ruin anything. Guillermo creates things with me in mind and he’s got a better image of what I can do than I do,” Jones said. “However, there might be an elf king, father of Legolas kind of character that I would love.”