Frodo, Legolas to appear in the Hobbit (and more)

[The Straight Story]

Following some controversy surrounding Jackson's telling of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, Wood explained how his character Frodo Baggins, along with Cate Blanchett's elven queen and Orlando Bloom's Legolas, are written into the film.

"The idea is that there are things actually happening historically at the same time the story of The Hobbit is taking place, they just weren't written in The Hobbit," he said. "They were written in appendices and external pieces...that's kind of where a lot of that is coming from."

"It's going to feel like a nice transitional piece," he said. "I think it's going to be a great amalgam of a fresh new approach with places we've never been before in Middle-earth mixed with things that are very familiar to us. It will be a beautiful transition. I'm excited about it. I can't wait."

http://www.eonline.com/news/marc_malkin/will_hobbit_be_even_bigger_lord_of/274938

'Hobbit' Trailer Looms, Gandalf Speaks, Bilbo Rises

A Trailer for Christmas?
Andy Serkis certainly has come a long way since his humble, but unforgettable beginnings as the man behind Gollum. Speaking with IGN UK about his massively popular role as Caesar in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," Serkis mentioned when he thought a trailer for his return to Middle Earth might show up. "There will be a trailer fairly soon, actually. Around Christmas time, I believe," Serkis said. The article from IGN guesses that Serkis' prediction means either a debut before "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" or the more likely choice of "The Adventures of Tintin."

Bilbo Rising
For the main character of the films, Martin Freeman's Bilbo hasn't shown up that much in the materials released from the film so far. Eric Vespe, Ain't It Cool's embedded reported and one lucky bastard, filed his third report from the location shoots in Matamata, aka Hobbiton, with a brand new picture of Freeman as Bilbo speaking with director Peter Jackson. Technically, there is nothing new about Bilbo's look from the photo, but every glance at the reluctant hero is worth mentioning.

The Blogging Wizard
Ian McKellen gave "The Hobbit" and Jackson a brief shout out in his most recent blog. "In The Hobbit, Gandalf is part old duffer but more he's a soldier. Peter Jackson, who likes to see the old guys fighting it out, reminded me the other day that Gandalf is a commander, a general," McKellen wrote. "Having slain the Great Goblin I was being a bit too indulgent with the dwarves who meanwhile had mislaid Bilbo in the goblin tunnels. I've played enough soldiers to see that PJ was right and in the next take I was very stern."

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/11/15/hobbit-trailer-looms-gandalf-speaks-bilbo-rises/