Empire Debuts New Hobbit Cover

Empire's effort to cheer everyone with the January blues up features favorite CGI wonder, Smeagol, looking quite happy on the latest cover.

Empire claims their article on The Hobbit will "tell you how the film finally became a reality after years languishing in tangled rights hell; why Peter Jackson stepped aside from directing; what might be contained in the mooted second movie; and just what director Guillermo del Toro has in store for the whole shebang.

GDT: "Whatever The Hobbit ends up being, it has to ultimately blend seamlessly into the first movie of the trilogy. We have to respect the cosmology and the canon established by the trilogy and follow it."

For more from del Toro, and more on The Hobbit, pick up the March issue of Empire – on sale Friday.