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Better late than never! Even though Peter Jackson and the rest of the cast of "The Hobbit" have been busy filming the upcoming two films in New Zealand, there were still apparently characters left to be cast. But no longer.

Deadline is reporting that Billy Connolly has come on board to play the role of Dain Ironfoot. The dwarf warrior is the second cousin of head dwarf Thorin Oakenshield. The reason that Connolly was able to sign on so late in the game is because the character of Dain only has a small role in "The Hobbit," and likely will only appear in the second "Hobbit" film, "There and Back Again," which comes out in 2013.

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Tags Billy Connolly, the-hobbit

A brand new image from "The Hobbit" features Bilbo Baggins being surrounded by some very unexpected guests. The still looks to come from Bilbo's first introduction to his 13 dwarf companions at Bag End, and he isn't too pleased about it judging by the look on his face.

The one character noticeably absent from this photo is Gandalf, who led the introductions between the hobbit and the dwarves. Then again, the image is also missing nine of the other dwarves, so it seems like we'll have to let it slide this time. Standing around Bilbo (Martin Freeman) from left to right are Bifur (William Kircher), Dwalin (Graham McTavish), Bofur (James Nesbit) and Oin (John Callen).

The still comes courtesy of Yahoo! Movies and was included in a new interview with Evangeline Lilly about her role in "The Hobbit." Unsurprisingly, it was a bit harder for her to play Tauriel the elf than Kate the human on "Lost."

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Tags Evangeline Lilly, Martin Freeman, the-hobbit

From the sound of her new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Evangeline Lilly didn't leave badass roles for good after wrapping "Lost." She will be joining the ranks of the elves of Mirkwood in the both of Peter Jackson's upcoming films, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and "The Hobbit: There and Back Again."

Freckles spoke at length to EW about her character, Tauriel, and give some of the first details about one of the newest additions to Middle-earth.

"Yes, she is a warrior. She’s actually the head of the Elven guard. She’s the big shot in the army," Lilly told EW.

Read more of about Lilly's character in "The Hobbit" after the jump.

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Tags Evangeline Lilly, peter jackson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: There And Back Again, the-hobbit

There really is nothing more delightful than an encounter with Andy Serkis. He is just so darn humble and nice, not to mention spectacularly talented. Our latest run-in with the "Tintin" and "Rise Of The Planet of the Apes" actor was at the Golden Globes which Serkis was attending in support of "Tintin," which took home the trophy for Best Animated Film (How much did you love the fact that director Steven Spielberg gave Serkis a special shout-out in his acceptance speech, by the way?)

While we could have spent plenty of time talking with Serkis about his most recently celebrated characters (Captain Haddock and Caesar, respectively) we couldn't ignore the fact that he's currently flexing familiar precious muscles as Gollum for the filming of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit," so we rolled the dice and asked Serkis for his thoughts on the infamous and evil Smaug.

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Tags andy serkis, Smaug, the-hobbit, Video

After the release of its first trailer, the news of "Prometheus" being a slight "Alien" prequel is more or less an open secret. Thankfully, the filmmakers haven't tried to pretend otherwise.

A newly released screenshot finds "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" star Noomi Rapace in the corridor of a space ship, alone except for the pair of shadowy space jockeys standing right behind her.

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Tags damon lindelof, noomi rapace, prometheus, the-hobbit

The MTV Movie Brawl 2012 is officially on! After the initial play-in and wild card rounds, 16 films have been selected to compete in a series of head-to-head single elimination matches in our March Madness-style bracket. In the end, only one of these flicks can be crowned the can't-miss movie of the year, and the choice is entirely up to YOU. Which movie will win the brawl for it all? Vote at MTV Movies Blog and make your choice known!

It's a veritable retelling of David versus Goliath in this Sweet 16 match. In one corner, a film that's literally decades in the making, one that promises to bring moviegoers back to one of the most cherished cinematic worlds of all time. In the other corner... we've got some real wallflowers. With perks! Without further ado, let's dive into the battle.

(3) "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" Vs. (6) "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"
Ask and ye shall receive! After winning its way into the tournament via the Wild Card round, "Perks" proved its staying power by breaking all the way into the 16-film bracket. But does the Logan Lerman and Emma Watson-starring adaptation have enough power behind it to topple "The Hobbit," Peter Jackson's long awaited return to the world of Middle-earth? Fans have been waiting since the closing moments of "Return of the King" for the tale of Bilbo Baggins' greatest adventure, and this year, it finally arrives. What chance does "Perks" stand against such a highly anticipated event? Well... this is the brawl for it all, folks. Surprises are bound to happen, and "The Hobbit" could very well become an unexpected casualty.

Tags MTV Movie Brawl 2012, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, the-hobbit

Benedict Cumberbatch's name can be seen almost everywhere these days ever since J.J. Abrams cast him as the main villain in "Star Trek 2," but that isn't the only big franchise where you'll see the British actor in the next few years.

A few months ago, Peter Jackson chose Cumberbatch for the iconic role of Smaug in "The Hobbit," for which he'll provide the motion performance for the famous dragon. The announcement for Cumberbatch's casting, however, offered an unexpected piece of additional news. Some spoilers ahead...

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Tags Benedict Cumberbatch, jj abrams, peter jackson, Star Trek 2, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: There And Back Again, the-hobbit

There's no better way to celebrate a slow Friday than by checking out movie stills, especially when they're from some of 2012's most anticipated films. USA Today posted some excellent new shots from "The Hobbit," "Prometheus," and "The Bourne Legacy," all showing off main characters hanging out in their element. After the click, take a look at some of the action!

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Tags Jeremy Renner, Martin Freeman, noomi rapace, prometheus, the bourne legacy, the-hobbit

Despite much excitement over the opportunity to direct a film, Matt Damon has decided to pass off directing responsibilities for the upcoming untitled flick he co-wrote with John Krasinski. Meanwhile, Bret McKenzie teases his "The Hobbit" cameo, Kevin Smith updates fans on "Hit Somebody" and Emma Stone finds a "Little White Corvette."

Today is January 5, and you're tuning into today's daily news round up.

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Tags Bret McKenzie, Category Six, emma stone, Hit Somebody, john krasinski, kevin smith, Little White Corvette, matt damon, Steven Quale, the-hobbit

In a video message to his fans, Christopher Lee sounds as he ever does.

"We are coming to the end of 2011," he intones in his trademark baritone. "I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, a happy Christmas, and the family's gathered together." Proceeding from there, he begins to talk about the state of the world, and how the state of things are in bad shape. It's heavy talk coming from the long-time actor, but with his 90th birthday approaching, it would be weirder if he didn't have thoughts of mortality on his mind.

Lee spends much of the video discussing "The Hobbit," the two-part prequel to "Lord of the Rings" that sees the actor returning to the role of Saruman the White.

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Tags christopher lee, Hugo, lord of the rings, The Wicker Tree, the-hobbit