Filming of the highly anticipated The Hobbit will be delayed yet again. This time due to Peter Jackson's hospitalization with a perforated stomach ulcer. Ouch! The Lord of the Rings director was admitted to Wellington Hospital last night with acute stomach pains. A statement from the hospital said he had undergone surgery for a perforated ulcer.

"Sir Peter is currently resting comfortably and his doctors expect him to make a full recovery." The surgery is not expected to have an impact on the film's production, other than slightly delaying the start of filming.

Jackson was recently scouting in Fiordland for shooting locations with the help of five helicopters. His spokesman, Matt Dravitzki, confirmed the filmmaker was location scouting in the Queenstown area before filming starts next month, and that crews were also looking for sites in the North Island.

Get Well, Peter.