When Peter Jackson gave his acceptance speech after winning the Academy Award for Best Director for “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” — you just had to know that it wouldn’t be the end — that J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” would be the next journey into Middle Earth — duh. After all, the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy won an incredible 17 Oscars, including Best Picture for “Return of the King”. At one point, Jackson nearly didn’t return to the director’s chair for “The Hobbit”, almost turning it over to Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Hellboy II”). Once Jackson was back on board, fans declared it would be the second coming — not so fast. (Continue Reading at Examiner.com)