Guillermo posted on the TORN message board that 3D talks have begun for THE HOBBIT. Here is his quote:

I wouldn’t read much on it just yet, but now, after all this time, after AVATAR doing the Box Office it did, we have had enquires from above about The Hobbit being in 3-D.

No impositions or heavy leaning. Just enquires. Just fulfilling my promise to let you all know if discussions ever started.

As Guillermo states, don’t rush to a conclusion here. This only means that “they” (meaning those “from above”, i.e. studio execs) are probing with the usual questions – how will it affect the budget, how will it affect release date, etc..

So will THE HOBBIT be in 3D or not?

How about this answer: probably, most likely, I really don’t see it happening, NOT.

That is just one small step from a definite “no”.

That appears to be what Guillermo has been saying this week to address rumors that THE HOBBIT will be filmed in 3D. Here are a few statements that he has posted on TORN recently:

As a co-writer and director of this film (who works with the design teams, costume teams, creature teams, VFX teams every day of the week), let me be very clear one more time: we are not talking about 3D, we are NOT writing the screenplay for 3D right now- we are hiring my DoP Guillermo Navarro to shoot the film and we are not discussing 3D with him either or with WETA digital or WB or anyone else.

That should be a little less sidestepping, I hope.

If after AVATAR the market may change and demands are put upon us, etc that is in the future….

We are not discussing 3D at all or “hedging our bets” in regards to a possible future. Haven’t been doing it and are not doing it now. We are full-on en route to a 2-D, film (not digital) production. That alone should tell you something. We’ve been marching to a calendar and preproduction that doesn’t consider the 3D possibility.

So there you go. They are continuing to proceed on a 2D film. The key will be to keep an eye on AVATAR’s release to see, as GDT says, if “the market changes.”

  

Guillermo gave us a great scoop on his planned adaption of Phil Hester’s The Coffin. Check it out:

COFFIN has always been designed, written and thought of as a 3-D movie. As soon as we started the project, Jim Cameron made sure I became familiar with the way the new technology was developing. I fell in love. I believe that 3-D brings forth a very “comic book” sensibility and will be perfect for this movie when it happens.

You can check out GDT’s thread on the message board here.