Yes, you read that correctly — Deadline is reporting that none other than Peter Jackson is going to direct both parts of The Hobbit himself, and that he’s working out all the complicated contractual stuff at this very moment.

Funny how things seem to work out.

When we found out that a movie was being made based on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s classic Hobbit tale, but that the Lord of the Rings Director Jackson would only be producing, the first name that came to mind was Guillermo del Toro. The confirmation that del Toro would in fact be directing was incredibly exciting, but when many delays and some major issues with MGM caused del Toro to step away, it was undeniably depressing. And what was the first name that people thought of to replace him? It was Peter Jackson, naturally.

At first, Jackson directing seemed like an impossible scenario due to his obligations to many different projects he had been lining up. He made it very clear that he would leave the door open to take on The Hobbit if he could, but it was very unlikely at the time.

Other names have come along as rumored potentials such as District 9‘s Neil Blomkamp, Harry Potter‘s David Yates, and Spider-Man‘s Sam Raimi, but none felt right at all.

All digits crossed that everything goes smooth as smooth can be from here on out. There are still concerns with the studios and budget and all of that fun stuff, but if they find a way to make it all come together, this is best case scenario for fans.

The only negative is that this does mean that Jackson will be stepping out of other projects. Will it be his Tintin collaboration with Steven Spielberg? Perhaps something else?