David Yates Rumored to Direct Hobbit

When Guillermo del Toro left The Hobbit, Hollywood wondered if there was any director who could step in and guide such a massive, effects-laden series while remaining in the stylistic shadow of the auteurs who'd come before. Duh, of course: David Yates, who fulfilled that exact function on the last few installments of the Harry Potter series! Slashfilm notes that his involvement with The Hobbit is just a rumor, but that sound you hear is eight thousand bloggers slapping themselves on the forehead, wondering how they didn't think of this first. [Slashfilm]