Philippa Boyens, the screenwriter on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the new Hobbit movie, says she would have loved to have seen Guillermo Del Toro's version of the film.

New Line and Warner Bros initially hired the Pans Labyrinth director to adapt Tolkien's first book, though after waiting almost two years for legal issues to be resolved, Del Toro left the project. Original director Peter Jackson eventually accepted the role, though Boyens can't help but think what could have been.

"I would love to have seen the films Guillermo would have made" the writer told the Los Angeles Times, "It would have been amazing. And he certainly helped us by bringing fresh eyes to the Middle Earth because, of course, the biggest issue was making sure we weren't remaking 'Lord of the Rings.' In some ways it was easier, though, starting again for Pete. We work in a different way, very fluid, very flexible."

Using new frames per minute technology, Jackson's movie has split the critics, though some viewers have reportedly suffered from motion sickness and nausea watching the film. It once again stars Sir Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Elijah Wood, though The Office star Martin Freeman plays the lead role of Bilbo Baggins.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits cinemas in the UK on December 13, 2012 and in the U.S on December 14, 2012.