Goode Auditioned For Hobbit Role
WATCHMEN star MATTHEW GOODE is the latest actor to try out for the lead role in the upcoming LORD OF THE RINGS prequel.

The British actor, who shot to fame in the 2009 superhero movie, admits he recently auditioned for the coveted role of young Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro's two-part epic The Hobbit.

Other stars rumoured to be in the running include Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, James MCAvoy and Spider-Man Tobey Maguire, who recently denied he has been approached to take the part.

But Goode is convinced his audition won't be successful - because he is too tall to play the diminutive hobbit.

He says, "Look at the size of me, for Christ's sake!"

Guillermo del Toro reveals that plans are potentially afoot for The Hobbit movies to be shot in 3D…
Published on Mar 2, 2010

With production on the two Hobbit movies set to begin later this year, the question of 3D has inevitably reared its head. As The One Ring reports, when the suggestion of making the films in 3D was first raised back in the summer of last year, they were quickly nixed by director Guillermo del Toro. He, and given that he's co-written the script too he should know, was adamant that the films were not being written with 3D in mind.

But then Avatar happened. And given just how much money James Cameron's opus has made from 3D screenings alone, it's understandable that most filmmakers are having to deal with the 3D question now. Guillermo del Toro, it appears, is no different

WATCHMEN star MATTHEW GOODE is the latest actor to try out for the lead role in the upcoming LORD OF THE RINGS prequel.

The British actor, who shot to fame in the 2009 superhero movie, admits he recently auditioned for the coveted role of young Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo del Toro's two-part epic The Hobbit.

One of Peter Jackson's frequent collaborators says the "Lord of the Rings" director passed the torch to Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro to give the trilogy's two-part prequel, "The Hobbit," a fresh look.

After the huge success of the "Rings" series, Jackson is now working on adapting the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy novel that takes place before the trilogy. But this time the Oscar-winning New Zealand filmmaker is producing and working on the script, relinquishing directing duties to Del Toro, whose credits include "Pan's Labyrinth" and the two "Hellboy" movies.

Longtime Jackson collaborator, art designer Richard Taylor, says he thinks his friend gave up the director's chair "probably because he's spent so long in Middle Earth ... and probably felt a director such as Guillermo could bring something passionate and unique and original and new to the content for the sake of the fans," referring to the imaginary world where the novels are set.

"It's an absolute delight to be working with Guillermo Del Toro. We've all enjoyed his craft as seen in 'Pan's Labyrinth' and the 'Hellboy' movies. His unique aesthetic and storytelling style brings a lovely aesthetic to the world and one we're enjoying being part of," Taylor told The Associated Press on Monday in Hong Kong, where he is attending a digital entertainment conference at the technology park Cyberport.

The Weta Workshop president said his team has started designing the landscape and characters in "The Hobbit," but that he was unclear when shooting on the New Line Cinema production will start in New Zealand.

"We're just patiently waiting for it to begin. It's been in early development for a while. I'm sure it will get going some time soon," Taylor said.

He said he will stick to a consistent look for the main characters that appear in both the "Rings" series and "The Hobbit."

Taylor, who also won Oscars for his work on the "Rings" series, said he doesn't know if "The Hobbit" will be released in 3-D, but said the Weta team will take advantage of technological advancements since the first trilogy.

Like any film, there will be an effort to utilize the tools that are available to us today to achieve visual images that will excite and intrigue an audience as we did try 10 years ago."