Not too long ago, we interviewed Peter Jackson and he broke the news that he was planning to bring back only three key “Lord of the Rings” actors for his upcoming “Hobbit” films: the stars who played Gandalf, Galadriel and Elrond. Over the weekend, we caught up with the veteran actor who portrays one of the beloved Tolkien three, and he told us how he’ll fit into the high-profile films.

“Elrond is in ‘The Hobbit,’ in the book,” explained Hugo Weaving, the “Matrix” breakout actor who portrayed the Lord of Rivendell and ancient, wise elf in Jackson’s three “LotR” films. “And yeah, I would love to work on that, with Guillermo del Toro directing.” Read more...

The fantastic performance by Elijah Wood in Peter Jackson's adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy has set the bar for hobbit roles everywhere. Well before Frodo there was Bilbo, star of Guillermo del Toro's upcoming adaptation of "The Hobbit." When MTV's Josh Horowitz spoke to Wood at Sundance this week, he asked the "Rings" star who his pick would be for the as-yet-uncast role.

"I honestly love the initial rumor from way back when, which was James McAvoy," he said. Read more...

While Frodo Baggins' quest to throw the One Ring into the fiery depths of Mount Doom concluded in the final "Lord of the Rings" installment, there's still plenty of Middle-Earth adventure left to be had in "The Hobbit" — just don't expect to see too many familiar faces when Guillermo del Toro takes the director's chair from producer Peter Jackson for the prequel films.

Still, that's not stopping some of the old "Rings" castmembers from throwing their names into the, uh, ring. At the Sundance Film Festival, Orlando Bloom — who played the Elven archer Legolas in the critically acclaimed trilogy — said that he has reached out to Jackson about possibly returning for "The Hobbit." Read more...

In mid-December, a rumor surfaced that (now ex-)"Spider-Man" star Tobey Maguire would play Bilbo Baggins in the coming, Guillermo del Toro-directed adaptation of "The Hobbit." It seemed like a preposterous idea on multiple levels, but the source -- Latino Review -- has a better track record than most of the rumor-mongers out there.

Over the weekend it came out that the rumor was, in fact, just that. Producer Peter Jackson shot off a message to Ain't It Cool News saying that, while he and del Toro are fans of Maguire, it's just not true. The "Hobbit" team is "currently auditioning for Bilbo" he said, and they're "a month or two away from any announcements." Del Toro wrote in as well, with a simple, one-sentence statement: "It's not true." Read more...

After 12 years, "Titanic"'s status as the top-grossing film of all time is being threatened by director James Cameron's follow-up, "Avatar." Even if the movie's box office earnings fall short of the "Titanic" numbers -- two records, $600 million domestic and $1.8 billion worldwide -- there is little doubt at this point that "Avatar" will at least settle in at number two on both of those lists, effectively making Cameron king of Hollywood, if not the world.

Considering the length of time "Titanic" held its top spots, it seems unlikely that another movie could come along in the near-term to unseat either of Cameron's record-breaking films. Still, it doesn't hurt to consider what it would take to accomplish such a feat and which upcoming releases might have a shot at doing so. Emphasis on might here; personally, I think it's going to be a good long while before we see anything even approaching the performance of either of those films. Read more...

James McAvoy doesn't have plans to visit the world of Middle-earth, nor does he have any interest in creating iconic super spies. In other words, rumors that the "Wanted" star will have roles in the upcoming Ian Fleming biopic and Guillemo Del Toro's "The Hobbit" are exactly that — rumors.

While participating in press rounds for "The Last Station," McAvoy revealed to Collider that the word on the street about his possible turns as Bilbo Baggins and Ian Fleming are completely unfounded. Read more...

While we're still not sure what Bilbo Baggins hates — other than chipped glasses, cracked plates, blunted knives and bent forks, of course — we're a bit closer to learning what Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson are looking for in their titular Hobbit.

A casting call for "The Hobbit," featuring breakdowns of several of the movie's main characters, is making the rounds online courtesy of Spoiler TV. Those of us who have already read J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved novel — or at least have seen that hilariously wonderful cartoon adaptation — already know a good deal about some of these characters, but it's nonetheless a treat to see the breakdowns in print. Read more...

Do you have extraordinarily hairy feet that you never slip into shoes? Do you eat an unusual amount of meals throughout the day without putting on any extra weight to speak of? Are you just generally funny looking?

If you fit the bill for any of the aforementioned qualities, then maybe — just maybe — you're right for a part in "The Hobbit," the upcoming "Lord of the Rings" prequel produced by original helmer Peter Jackson and directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

Read more...

Only a few hours ago, I brought you an update from Guillermo del Toro, director of "The Hobbit," the "Lord of the Rings" prequel which officially begins casting today. His "all is well, things proceeding as planned" message is comforting to fans who have been worrying about delays and the like, but it doesn't really qualify as anything new. Not like this latest update...

For months now, fans have been speculating who might play the role of Bilbo Baggins, the innocent little dude at the center of "The Hobbit"'s story. Ian Holm played his older self in the "Rings" trilogy, but rumors have suggested we'll be seeing someone younger; James McAvoy, David Tennant, Jack Black and Daniel Radcliffe have all been rumored for the role. In fact, the role may soon be filled by "Spider-Man" star Tobey Maguire, according to Latino Review. Read more...

I know what you're thinking. "The Lord of the Rings" is old news. What kind of update could there possibly be? The one that PlayStation 3 owners and Blu-ray adopters have been waiting for, of course. The full trilogy will hit the hi-def format on April 6, according to a report at Video Business (via ComingSoon). Fans can look forward to nine discs of Blu-ray goodness, with bonus content culled from the previous DVD releases as well as digital copies of each movie and BD Live access. The April release is only for the theatrical cuts of the trilogy; the extended versions are coming... eventually. No word yet on when.

There's also some news to report on "The Hobbit" front, beginning with the official start to the casting process today. "Hobbit" director Guillermo del Toro also dropped in on the forums at "Rings" fansite TheOneRing to address some of the pesky rumors that have been flying around. Read more...