Geordie the billy goat who has spent to the last 20 years grazing on the side of a New Plymouth street is to star in The Hobbit.

The goat who was in the news after he was spray-painted twice by vandals last year landed the role after a Facebook page established for him was spotted by a scout for the movie to be directed by Sir Peter Jackson, The Taranaki Daily News reported.

“A scout rang and asked if we would allow Geordie to be in the movie”, said owner Julie Field.

“We said ‘yes’ and the scout went back to the producer, who saw photos of Geordie and wanted him”. [Read More]

When we posted a sketch of Smaug, little did we know the passion it would unleash. One of the great mysteries about “The Hobbit” films will be the design of Smaug, one of the most influential dragons in all of popular culture. Many have an idea of what the great worm should look like but only people behind the scenes know for sure and they aren’t talking. Thanks to forum member and Ringer Blueman for emailing us his sketch (on the right) to get the party started.  The sketch that gets the most ‘Likes’ will win a copy of the BBC Lord of the Rings radio play! Good luck to you all! [TORN Facebook]

Merie sends this in: From iftn.ie – “Ros Hubbard is a world renowned casting director having worked on hugely successful films such as ‘The Commitments’, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy and ‘Father Ted’ with her family. IFTN caught up with the Irish talent spotter to talk about casting hobbits and dwarves for Peter Jackson, her trouble finding thin Irish children and ‘Father Ted’ bringing out her catholic guilt!” She basically confirmed that Saoirse Ronan has a part in “The Hobbit”. More..

Thanks to a recent interview by Robert Beck of Lotsofinterviews.com, we now know that actor Dominic Keating (Malcom of Star Trek Enterprise) auditioned for a role in The Hobbit. When asked what roles he has upcoming, Dominic answers…

And I’m still waiting to hear on the Hobbit. They’ve been in production a long time to get this going but they lost their director which is maybe why I haven’t heard anything yet so fingers crossed.

[Read the full interview] What role could he be up for? Discuss in our forums and on facebook!

We’re ecstatic today to be announcing a new feature on TheOneRing.net called ‘Hobbit in 5’. ‘Hobbit in 5’ brings you the latest news and rumors from TheOneRing.net in a convenient 5 minute HD video for you to digest and pass along to your friends! Check out the first episode and press release below, be sure to check back every Friday for a new episode. Subscribe to the YouTube channel and never miss a segment!

Press Release:
TheOneRing.net and Galatia Films Come Together to Produce Unique Online Experience with ‘Hobbit in 5’
All the news of TheOneRing.net condensed into 5 minute video segments available on all platforms.

January 24th, 2011 – TheOneRing.net and Galatia films have joined forces to produce ‘Hobbit in 5’, a weekly video series of Hobbit movie news.

“The staff at TheOneRing.net have been eager to get news out to as many people as possible, producing original online videos and hosting them on YouTube is the best way of going about it” says Michael Regina, editor-in-chief and co-founder of TheOneRing.net. “The video format provides a unique experience to our fan base, while new viewers can easily catch up with the latest news about The Hobbit Movie”. Galatia Films spokesman and Reclaiming the Blade director Daniel McNicoll co-produces the series with Regina. Continue reading “TheOneRing.net and Galatia Films Present: ‘Hobbit in 5’”