Guillermo del Toro, who will be directing the two-film adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," wants the films to re-create the spirit of the book.

"I'm trying to be faithful," del Toro said in a new interview with SciFi Wire. "I'm trying to re-create on the screen the feeling I had when I was 11 in my bed reading the book. How excited I got. How great I thought it was. That's what I'm trying to honor."

The films will not be similar in style to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, according to del Toro, nor will they be like other fantasy films he has directed, such as "Hellboy" and "Pan's Labyrinth."

"I know that for a fact I gravitated towards the novel," said del Toro. "So there's something there that echoes with me very strongly, which is not the case with most fantasy."

According to Del Toro, the first film, which is scheduled to begin shooting later this year in New Zealand, is still in the early stages of planning and isn't officially in preproduction yet.

"There is a lot of work already being done on our parts," del Toro said, "but real preproduction will not start until late July."

"The news came very joyously during the post-production of Hellboy II," he said about being handed the reigns for "The Hobbit." "But at the same time, it was the most miraculous and beautiful monkey wrench in a lot of things that we were planning, both in life plans that I have to put to bed from now until December in order to become celibate and dedicate my entire energy to 'The Hobbit.'"

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" opens in U.S. theaters July 11.

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