Tolkien fans have been worried about the fate of the two The Hobbit films since director Guillermo Del Toro left the project. There is some good news, though.

Deadline.com is reporting that Peter Jackson, executive producer of The Hobbit and director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is stepping in to fill the role of director. (Lord of the Rings fans have been hoping this would be the case.) A contract is being negotiated with Warner Brothers.

Jackson seemed the obvious person to take his place as the director of the JRR Tolkien novel, particularly to keep those release dates on track. While he has been engaged with Steven Spielberg on the Tin Tin films, Jackson has been a creative partner with del Toro from the beginning. He certainly knows the terrain better than anyone alive, having shot three installments of The Lord of the Rings during a single production stint.