After Peter Jackson redefined fantasy cinema with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, he returned to try and make lightning strike twice with The Hobbit. However, Jackson didn’t always intend to direct the sequel trilogy, as Guillermo del Toro was once attached to the director’s chair. Cate Blanchett, who appeared in both trilogies as the elf Galadriel, remembers when del Toro was in charge of the project and wonders what the unique director would have brought to the franchise. The horror auteur behind Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone, Cronos, and Blade II would have brought his fantastical gothic vision to the Lord of the Rings franchise.
