Lord Of TheRings director PeterJackson has said he will not start shooting an adaptation of J.R.RTolkein's The Hobbit for several years.

Asked how longit would take to begin shooting the prequel to the Rings trilogy, Jackson said:"Three or four years would be accurate."

Jackson was inSydney to talk to fans about his films and, according to wire reports, he saidthat the film's production date was uncertain because of Hollywood studio MGM'ssale to Sony Corporation.

Rights to the TheHobbit are split betweenMGM and New Line Cinema.

"I think there is probably a will and a desire totry and get it made," he told the media. "But I think it's going be alot of lawyers sitting in a room trying to thrash out a deal before it willever happen."

Jackson iscurrently filming a remake of 1933 classic King Kong in New Zealand. The film stars NaomiWatts and Adrien Brody.

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