Well, today I’ve heard from 3 different sources that an offer has been made to ELIJAH WOOD to play Frodo in the three LORD OF THE RINGS movies that Peter Jackson will begin shooting at the end of the summer. Now, I know for a fact that Elijah read for the part, and before that I knew he was looking at the 3 scripts, and before that… Back when Elijah was working on THE FACULTY and we were talking geeky stuff, he expressed that his favorite book was THE LORD OF THE RINGS. So… Where is this? Between this and to story over at Cinescape it sounds like the casting process might be at that point where final decisions are being made. Cinescape is reporting that Timothy Spall (the photographer in “Secrets and Lies”, a film everybody should rush out and rent immediately) has been cast as Gimli in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings”! Warwick Davis apparently spilled the beans on this story at the Star Wars Celebration when he admitted that he had auditioned for the part and lost it to Spall. I think this is a brilliant casting move, and it gives me great confidence in Jackson. Spall has the stature and the voice for Gimli. He’ll be great. (He also played Rosencrantz in the Branagh version of “Hamlet”.) I have long been absent, but still I lurk. Wood: Frodo? Call me, Overstreet. So far, I think these are a pair of wonderful choices if this pans out. I’m looking into confirming these right now with folks on LORD OF THE RINGS. But these are the first serious casting choices we’ve received. What with all the Connery stuff and McGoohan, etc… Seems like exciting things are a coming up!
Day: May 6, 1999
Fine Line prez Mark Ordesky, who is supervising the production of Peter Jackson”s Lord of the Rings trilogy with New Line”s Mike DeLuca, took some time to talk up the project. While talking to columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith, Ordesky explained that the film “will push the envelope of computer special effects to a new degree.” Ordesky also talked about the casting for the film and the commitment that will have to be made by the actors involved revealing, “With the exception of a few leads, the cast will be working a few weeks on, a few weeks off for what will be a long-term production.” Those long term plans mean the previously reported shooting schedule for the three films as back-to-back for a year”s time with “three times that long with pre- to post-production.” Ordesky also shoots down the rumors suggesting Sean Connery is involved. Ordesky reveals, “Actors who love the story have been phoning, wanting to be part of the film, but no one has been cast — we hope to start the process in May.” Still, there may be reason to doubt Ordesky”s word on casting with word from Warwick Davis (Willow) last weekend at the Star Wars Celebration that Timothy Spall has already been cast as Gimli.