Elijah Wood Confirmed for Hobbit Role

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: MGM, New Line, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases,

It has been confirmed that Elijah Wood will appear in The Hobbit.

The 29-year-old actor, who played Frodo Baggins in the Lords of the Rings film franchise, will definitely appear in the forthcoming movie prequel, despite his character not featuring in the original J.R.R. Tolkein novel.

Producers are rumored to have written the film with an opening sequence in which Frodo begins to read about his uncle Bilbo Baggins' adventures.

A statement by Elijah's representatives confirmed his involvement and also revealed that he is set for a busy few months as he will also feature in a TV mini-series of Treasure Island alongside Eddie Izzard. "Wood is confirmed to star in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, to be shot in New Zealand. In addition, he has signed on to play Ben Gunn in Stewart Harcourt's adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island alongside Eddie Izzard. The two part/ four hour miniseries will be airing on Sky TV in the UK," the statement read.

Filming for The Hobbit - which will be split into two parts and also stars Martin Freeman and Cate Blanchett- is due to begin in New Zealand next month.

Guillermo Del Toro Exits The Hobbit

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: MGM, New Line, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Filmmaking, Rumors, Upcoming Releases,

Will The Hobbit ever be made? Just when Andy Serkis reports that filming will be delayed until the end of the year, director Guillermo Del Toro calls it quits. Thankfully, however, Del Toro will be sticking around to finish co-writing the screenplays.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life. After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director.”

No word yet as to who is to take over Del Toro’s job, but executive producer Peter Jackson revealed the reasoning behind Del Toro’s decision: “[Del Toro] has compromised his commitment to other long term projects… The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years.”

The film, which is to be released as two separate movies, is still expected to hit theaters in December 2012 and December 2013.

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Sequel News: Romy and Michele, Planet of the Apes and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks, New Line, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Rumors, Scripts, Upcoming Releases, Videos,

Planet of the Apes: The apes will rise again in 2011 when Fox delivers a Planet of the Apes prequel. The movie - currently titled Rise of the Apes - will have photo-realistic apes incorporated into the cautionary tale. The story, written by The Relic‘s Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa, will explain how genetic engineering experimentation lead to the apes’ development. The Rupert Wyatt-directed film will be set in present-day San Francisco.

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