Andy Serkis is eager for a Hobbit movie comeback with his character, Gollum. Serkis says,
"In 2010, if all goes according to plan, I think they're gonna start thinking about The Hobbit. It will be nice to drag Gollum kicking and screaming back out again. It will be great."
You can read more here.

ComingSoon.com has been talking to the future Hobbit director, Guillermo del Toro. Del Toro talks a little bit more about Smaug, saying:
"Smaug is the creature in 'The Hobbit.' The way Tolkien wrote it, already, is magnificent. It's already a fantastic character. So, obviously, you ask every person what their best favorite dragon is, they will give you a different answer. In my mind, what we're going to attempt on the design of this creature and the creation of this creature needs to push the envelope beyond anything you've ever seen on that kind of creature."

Del Toro adds, "...Smaug has certain characteristics that make him unique already. I am bursting at the seams about spilling the beans, but I won't because I would be shot."

Today is Craig Parker's 38th birthday. He was born in Suva, Fiji on November 12, 1970. In the CoE gallery there are some great pictures of Craig in the role of Haldir here.

Happy Birthday Craig.

Does your Christmas list include a new CoE t-shirt? Well here is your chance to design your own. CoE is holding another t-shirt design contest. The designs will be available for purchase at Zazzle in time for the holidays. For more information click here. Good Luck to all.

Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow;
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
Here's your chance to own your Tom Bombadil mini bust. This bust measures 3 3/4 inches tall and is limited to 1000 pieces.
For the month of November the CoE Store will be featuring this wonderful new item. Get yours before they are gone.

Greetings! The Realms need your help in choosing a winner for our 8th competition. Please come check out the characters we picked here and then vote for the one you liked best!

Today, October 31st, is Peter Jackson's birthday. He was born in Pukerua Bay, North Island, New Zealand in 1961 and is 47 years old today. You can read his crew bio here.

In the CoE Gallery there are pictures of Peter in his own section and photos throughout the general cast and crew section.

Filming has started on Born of Hope, a prequel to the Lord of the Rings movies. The film will tell the story of Arathorn and Gilraen (Aragorn’s parents) and will be released on the internet in 2009.

Director Kate Robinson has commented; "We want to show people more of a back-story for Aragorn. Based on Tolkien's writings in the Appendices of the books we look at Aragorn's people and show the relationship between his parents." You can read the full story here.

If you have money to spare you might like to think about bidding for a letter written by Tolkien in which he apologizes for the long delay in publishing volume 3 of The Lord of the Rings.

The letter goes on sale on 4th November 2008 at Bonhams, London, UK with an estimate of £2000 to £3000. You can read a transcript of the letter here.

Happy birthday, Viggo Mortensen. Viggo was born in Watertown, New York, USA on October 20th 1958 and is now 50 years old.
You can read his cast bio here and there are pictures of Viggo in the role of Aragorn here.


Many Happy Returns Viggo!

We have hit the magic number of 10!
And to celebrate this occassion, and write about something, in this case someone, we all hold dear, the theme of this contest is J.R.R. Tolkien.
So sharpen your pencils and your typing fingers, and give your contribution to celebrate a great creator, and a great person.
You will find the contest with rules and dates here.

In a interview with MTV, Del Toro says Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, and Ian McKellen must be approached to do the movie. He talks about his plans for "The Hobbit" , including news on Smaug, Doug Jones as an Elven King, Guillermo Navarro, and Elrond.

The third issue of the Realmer's Digest is now available for your delectation. A veritable feast of informative articles, short stories and poetry.

You can download your copy here.

A very enjoyable read.

Patrick Acton, the owner and founder of "Matchstick Marvels" is currently undertaking a huge project in making a large model (out of matchsticks, of course) of the city of Minas Tirith. You can view photos of the model at his website.

Del Toro reports that he, Jackson, and Jackson's writing team are collaborating together very nicely.
"It's working so well that the overall script for "The Hobbit" will hopefully be done "by the change of the year," del Toro said. "And then a budget in the very near future."

You can read the full story here.