Well, this isn't good. It seems that the start of The Hobbit has been delayed for so long in its search for a director that it's starting to affect the talent's schedules. Luckily, all of the talent is debatably replaceable, with one glaring exception: Ian McKellen, who absolutely must play Gandalf the Grey. Or must he? McKellen has a potential scheduling conflict and may have to drop out, which sounds devastating, but while Gandalf does not age as men do, and should therefore look more or less the same as he does 60 years later (when The Fellowship of the Ring occurs), isn't a little creative license a good thing? Couldn't a new Gandalf help to differentiate these films from the original trilogy? Nobody wants to see McKellen replaced, but it's better than another delay or even the death of the film, so here are some suggestions for actors to play the original sorcerer supreme.

Tags: Ian McKellen, Lord of the Rings, re-casting, The Hobbit

Now that director Guillermo Del Toro is no longer directing The Hobbit, a mad search is on to find the new director, both by the studio and by the press, who have thrown out the names of every geek-friendly genre director from Abrams to Raimi. But why does the director have to be known for the fantasy and sci-fi genre? After all, the last three directors of the Harry Potter franchise were virtual strangers to the fantasy film world before they signed on to their installments, and they've been incredibly successful, each with their own distinctive voice. While we aren't going to scour the film festivals to find the next Peter Jackson, there are plenty of established directors who aren't known for swords and sorcery, but might be willing to tackle such an important work of literature.

Tags: director, Guillermo Del Toro, Lord of the Rings, Martin Scorcese, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, Wes Anderson

The fellowship that led to Middle Earth success is officially coming back to Hobbiton. No, that other fellowship. As Variety reports, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have signed on to collaborate on The Hobbit and its sequel with director and my favorite matador, Guillermo del Toro. The wonder-writers of the immensely successful (and totally awesome) The Lord of the Rings trilogy will finish telling the rest of J.R.R. Tolkien's story before del Toro takes the reigns on directing the two films back-to-back. (Filming starts next year.)

Tags: Guillermo Del Toro, Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit

Lots of casting goodies have come out since yesterday. Like Oliver Twist looking for another helping of sweet, sweet gruel, step on up with your bowl in hand and get ready to feast on these:

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Amanda Peet has joined the cast of Roland Emmerich's 2012. She'll play the ex-wife to John Cusack's struggling writer. They, along with a few other survivors, will face the end of the world together--she with her new rich husband, he with a particularly chilly rejection letter from The New Yorker. Peet should feel right at home in this one, as there were probably many times during her stint on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip when she felt like she was waiting for the apocalypse.

Tags: 2012, Amanda Peet, Amelia Earheart, Bilbo Baggins, Christoper Eccleston, James MacAvoy, Jenna Jameson, John Cusack, Josh Meyers, Roland Emmerich, The Hobbit

Most Tolkien fans breathed a sigh of relief last week when it was announced that Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro would direct The Hobbit. There were notable exceptions, but it was mostly a fanboy's or fangirl's dream come true.

Tags: andy serkis, guillermo del toro, ian mckellen, lord of the rings, the hobbit, theonering.net

I don't think anyone would call Guillermo del Toro a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of guy. He's definitely a planner. So much of one, in fact, that his professional calendar is booked through 2017. Currently -- and for the next five years -- knee-deep in The Hobbit, del Toro signed a three-year first-look deal with Universal in June of last year that will pick up after the epic New Line/Miramax project is finished.

Tags: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Drood, Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy, Hellboy 2: THe Golden Army, Miramax, New Line, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Hobbit, Universal