London, Dec 21 (IANS) Director Guillermo del Toro, who has been praised for his work in 'Pan's Labyrinth', has been linked to a movie version of 'The Hobbit'.

Contactmusic.com reports that 'Lord of the Rings' director Peter Jackson will produce the movie based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien. Del Toro has not been confirmed for the project but seems to be the likely choice.

When asked if he was approached for the project, he said: 'I've heard some rumblings, but nothing official. I don't want to think about it because it's such an eventuality.'

He added: 'It's the only Tolkien book I've read. I tried my best to read the 'Lord of the Rings', the trilogy. I could not. They were very dense. And then one day, I bought 'The Hobbit'. I read it and loved it. So it would be a privilege. But listen, I wish I knew.'

Del Toro also revealed his excitement about possibly working with Jackson and Fran Walsh and special effects team Weta Digital.

He said: 'I met Peter and Fran when we were trying to do 'Halo'. I think what they're doing in New Zealand is amazing. What they're doing, in terms of the way they approach filmmaking - the way I see it is, it's Hollywood the way god intended it. Because it's a filmmaker's dream and a filmmaker's facility, so it's heaven. The question is will I go to heaven? I have no idea.'