In fairness, it DOES look more tolerable than the Chipmunks Squeakquel or Beverly Hills Chihuahua . . .

I bet reading the title of this post you wondered to yourself, what kind of person would be so excited about this that they would put an exclamation point at the end? The answer is anyone who has been attending popular cinema over the last 10 years (and assorted nerds such as myself). The BBC Reports that filming will begin in July in New Zealand with Guillermo del Toro directing, Peter Jackson producing, and Sir Ian McKellan reprising his role as Gandalf the Grey. The only real news for those who have been following this is that a date has been set for filming to begin, however it does make one wonder

about the cast. With only a few months until shooting begins, it is hard to imagine that most if not all of the big roles have been cast. Lets assume that Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis & Hugo Weaving all reprise their roles from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. That leaves a number of key roles that must be filled, and of course the Internet is full of rumors, such as:

Ron Pearlman will portray Thorin – Quite possible considering his previous work with del Toro, and not a bad choice in my opinion.

David Tennant will portray Bilbo Baggins – Not one I would have come up with (article here), and seemingly based on him being in the same room with Peter Jackson at one point, and a Simon Pegg tweet but Tennant is a hot commodity now, and being already part of the Harry Potter films and the greatest Doctor ever certainly make this rumor appealing.

James McAvoy – Rumors are swirling that Mr. Tumnus will play a large role in the film, but no character is linked to him. McAvoy has also landed a voice role in the upcoming Gnomeo and Juliet. Just Saying.

Daniel Roos as Beorn – Film is Pwn’s own Daniel Roos is a lock for the role of Beorn, and creature who can transform from a man to a bear.

Any other rumors or hearsay? Please post them…