Brace yourselves, genre geeks, because here's some fantastic news: It's official. Dark fantasy master Guillermo del Toro has been officially signed to direct the Hobbit adaptation(s). Obviously we halfway knew this was coming, but it's great to have the news confirmed: We have a few years to wait, but the two-movie MGM/New Line adaptation of The Hobbit ... will both be "del Toro films." That's just awesome.

According to Variety, Guillermo will actually MOVE to New Zealand for four years to work on the two films. How's that for commitment to a project? Although it's not a done deal, it's expected that producers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens will co-adapt the Tolkien tale together. No word yet on which Lord of the Rings cast members will be invited back for the prequels, but I'm betting we'll soon see Sir Ian donning that wizard's hat again!

And if I could just editorialize for a quick second: Guillermo del Toro has never made a bad movie. And don't say Mimic because that's a really underrated horror flick.