Rumor has it that Evil Dead and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi has been approached to direct the dig screen adaptation of The Hobbit.

OneRing is reporting that MGM has approached Raimi to direct the Lord of the Rings prequel. Peter Jackson announced last week that New Line (who owns the rights) had decided to move on without him returning to the series as director.

"It's hard to imagine any other director matching his achievement in Tolkien country," Sir Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the LotR trilogy wrote online. I'm sure if Raimi signed on, McKellen would change his mind.

 When Jackson made the announcement, fanboys around the world were outraged. There is probably only a list of 3 or 4 directors who would be a satisfy-able replacement, and Raimi is on the list.