Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is no stranger to fantasy and adventure — his imaginative art and production designs and knack for breathtaking practical effects have helped anchor and inform the Hellboy franchise, whose sequel opens next week, as well as the politically-tinged, Spanish-language films, including 2001’s The Devil’s Backbone and the Oscar-winning Pan’s Labyrinth, that have made him an arthouse darling and critics’ favorite. For his next big screen endeavor, though, del Toro is of course tackling the biggest fantasy adventure of them all — following in the footsteps of Peter Jackson’s blockbuster The Lord of the Rings trilogy by adapting J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit into not one, but two films.

While the established level of craftsmanship might be daunting to some, del Toro seems not only emboldened by the opportunity, but downright enthused by the challenge. “The way I see the five films, provided we do everything right, is as a symphony, and what I’m doing is an overture,” he says. “Therefore it can be a different color and energy, and lead  you into something that is already filmic legacy. All we’ve got to do is create an almost freestanding piece that can then, if viewed together, make sense as a symphonic whole. If the two first pieces are crafted with their independent merits, but also the second film leads seamlessly into the first film of the trilogy, we would have created perhaps one of the most beautiful symphonies, filmically, that has been done. The idea that I’m going to have the tools that exist in Weta, that exist in New Zealand, to create those films…” Here del Toro pauses briefly, a wide grin breaking out across his face. “I am ready to build the Pyramids, or the Temple of Ra!” For the full read, from Reelz Channel, click here.