Return of the Kiwi? THR’s Heat Vision says maybe:
It looks like Peter Jackson may direct the two “Hobbit” movies after all. Jackson is in negotiations to direct the movies, which were left without a captain after Guillermo del Toro left the director’s chair May 30.
Del Toro’s move caught observers by surprise because the filmmaker had devoted so much time to work with Jackson drawing up plans for the movies, and working on the script with Jackson and Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens…
But since his departure, Warner Bros. and New Line, which run point on the production over partner MGM, never did a full-on search for a director, even as some names surfaced as possible contenders. Why? Because Warners/New Line was saving most of its energy trying to woo Jackson back to Middle-Earth.