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Guillermo Del Toro has announced that he will no longer direct the upcoming movie adaptation of The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.

The Mexican director blamed the "ongoing delays" of filming the novel but called the decision the "hardest" of his life.

"After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures," he told fan website The One Ring.

"The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time-slot originally allocated for the project.

"Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck."

Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson, who is producing The Hobbit, added that he was sad to see Del Toro leave.

Jackson said: "The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years.

"Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him."

Del Toro recently revealed that the movie still did not have a start date.

Digital Spy