Lord Of The Rings Prequel "The Hobbit" Hits A Few Snags But Get's Lead Role Cast

Fans of Lord of The Rings have been excited about Peter Jackson's upcoming prequel to the sweeping epics for months now, but The Hobbit hasn't been without it's problems. The extensive delay before Warner Brother gave the go-ahead to start filming caused director Guillermo Del Toro to quit the film. This is a real shame because he was at the helm of the first three, and fans who really appreciated what those films did for the book are now left waiting anxiously to see who'll be stepping up to fill in.

That's not the only thing that might be different about The Hobbit either- now we may be seeing a whole new Middle Earth if the trouble between the unions and the film's production teams in New Zealand continues. The studio issued a statement saying, "The actions of these unions have caused us substantial damage and disruption and forced us to consider other filming locations for the first time."

While Production is still considering other locations, New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key is actually hoping to keep the film, so maybe things will settle down on that score. Thankfully, at least one thing has gone through without a hitch: the actor who'll be playing Bilbo Baggins has been cast.

Actor Martin Freeman who stars in the British version of "The Office" has been chosen for the role. Peter Jackson told BBC news "There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin." Several of the other main characters including Thorin Oakenshield, Fili, Kili, Olin, Bombur, and Gloin have also been cast.

It remains to be seen whether Sir Ian McKellan would be playing Gandalf once again, and whether Andy Serkis will be portraying Gollum in the prequel as well. There's no word yet on who'll be playing Elrond or doing the voice of the Dragon, but things have at least gotten a start with the main characters.