MGM and Warner Bros. threaten to put Brett Ratner on The Hobbit if Peter Jackson doesn't agree to direct already

With Guillermo del Toro’s recent exit leaving a massive hole in The Hobbit, MGM and Warner Bros. are said to be riding their bikes in circles outside Peter Jackson’s house hoping he’ll look out, realize that they like like him, and finally just agree to finish the job he started with The Lord Of The Rings. Jackson has been reluctant to step back into the job despite having co-written the scripts, being signed on to produce, and already living in New Zealand—which is said to be a deciding factor in del Toro bailing—so the studios are said to be committed to pursuing him until he finally offers a definitive no. In the meantime, MGM and Warner Bros. sources are tossing out the names of folks said to be interested in taking over such as Brett Ratner and Fred Claus director David Dobkin, which is sort of like telling a kid you’re going to feed his dinner to the dog if he doesn’t come to the table straight away. Have MGM and Warner Bros. considered just starting a Facebook campaign?