Ian McKellan courtesy New Line
Official announcements have not been made but all signs look good for Sir Ian Mckellen to return to his robed role as Gandalf in The HobbitIn one report says the AP McKellen tells fans that the part had been all but promised to him by Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro Obviously McKellan said its not a part that you turn down I loved playing Gandalf That anyone else but McKellen might actually play Gandalf seems remote The role which McKellen played for the Lord of the Rings trilogy even won him an Academy Award nomination Fingers crossed that the official word will come soon on this no-brainer-everyone-wins casting Anna DimondUse our Online Video Guide to relive the love of Lord of the RingsRelated149 Del Toro Officially Signs on to Direct The Hobbit
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Peter Jackson by Pierre Vinet/New Line
Following much legal tangling and a small degree of name-calling, Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema have settled all litigation relating to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and reached an agreement to bring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit to the big screen. "I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line," Jackson says in a statement to the AP. "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."As was done with the three Lord of the Rings films Jackson helmed, a pair of Hobbit movies will be filmed simultaneously. Production is set to begin in 2009, with the releases coming in 2010 and 2011. While Jackson (with Fran Walsh) will executive-produce the pics, a director has yet to be named.
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Question: Since motion-capture performances are becoming more and more common, what are the chances of someone getting an acting nomination for a role like King Kong or Yoda in the new Star Wars movie?
Answer: With moviemaking technology changing at an ever-increasing pace, the Academy has been reviewing a number of its policies, and I've heard it suggested that over the next few years they'll wind up doing their biggest overhaul since the introduction of sound in the 1920s. I have to wonder, for example, whether the conspicuous absence of Frank Miller's Sin City – by any objective standard one of the most visually stunning films released in 2005 – in any category is because members of the various branches didn't know what to nominate it for, given that the photography was extensively digitally overhauled and the production was almost entirely computer generated.
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Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin continues to live in New Zealand, even though his days playing heroic hobbit Samwise Gamgee are done. Now, he's shooting scenes as the poet/bard Linus in Hercules, an NBC miniseries slated for next May. He still has LOTR on his mind, however, having just published his new book, There and Back Again: An Actor's Story. Naturally, Astin borrowed the title from Bilbo Baggins' autobiography. He also shared some opinions his costars are unhappy about.TV Guide Online: Congrats on your new book. Is it a behind-the-scenes diary of your LOTR days?Sean Astin: No. It's just me trying to give voice to some thoughts and feelings that I had. I'm trying, in some way, to place myself in Hollywood history. As a second-generation actor whose parents [Patty Duke and John Astin] were popular cultural icons in the '60s, and someone trying to make my way in the industry, I'm just trying to say, "H
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Dominic Monaghan currently plays Charlie, the burned-out rocker stranded on an isle of the damned on ABC's Lost. But as the Dec. 14 release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Special Extended DVD Version approaches, we're bringing him back to his life and times as Frodo's fellow hobbit, Merry Brandybuck. Specifically, TV Guide Online wants the scoop on those gay rumors — both on-screen and off. Was there ever anything behind Frodo and Sam's legendary longing looks? And just how close were boon companions Merry and Pippin? Or were those hairy-footed hobbits — and their cute portrayers — just friends? Here, Monaghan dishes the dirt.TV Guide Online: You've got a big female fan base. Are you still unattached?Dominic Monaghan: I am. I'm working so much. I still enjoy female company, but in terms of anything really serious, that's not really where my head's at.
TVGO: Your good pal Billy Boyd (Pippin)
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Once a year, the quiet California city of San Diego becomes a geek Mecca, as fanboys (and fangirls) from all over the world descend on the futuristic convention center for Comic-Con International. Now in its 35th year, the sci-fi-palooza has gotten bigger in every way: more attendees (upwards of 75,000 people this time), more celebrity special guests (Sarah Michelle! Keanu! Ben Browder!), more events, more sneak previews and, most importantly, more free goodies. In fact, there was so much to do and see last weekend that this TV Guide Online reporter often found himself wishing for a handy cloning device (or at least that Time-Turner gadget that Hermione had in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) so he could be in two places at once. Until reality catches up with science fiction, here are the highs and lows of a weekend in comic-book paradise.
Warmest ReceptionThe Firefly faithful were out in force to welcome Joss Whe
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