Veteran actor John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) believes his offer to make an appearance in The Hobbit may have caused Peter Jackson’s stomach ulcer.

The 66-year-old Lord of the Rings star said he initially told Jackson he wouldn’t be returning to Middle Earth as the dwarf Gimli, but later had a change of heart.

“The other day when I realised it was about to start a little shiver of regret went through me,” he said.

“So I called Peter Jackson’s assistant and said, ‘If there was anything or even just an excuse to come down do let me know…’

“PJ promptly collapsed and was admitted to hospital, I never heard back.

[Read More] (Thank to Owain for the heads up)

 


Don’t forget our Bag End Giveaway running until April 13th 2011! TheOneRing.net is proud to team up with WETA Workshop to celebrate the start of production on ‘The Hobbit’ with a The Bag End Giveaway!

One lucky fan will walk away with this exquisite collectible replica of Bag End created by the renowned artists at Weta Workshop! Perfect for an office desk or at home, Bag End is a small scale reproduction of the best Hobbit hole in Hobbiton. It is sure to be the highlight of any The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fan’s collection. Follow the link for entry details. [Learn More]

 

Wellywood Map

Been to Wellington? Couldn’t get that perfect memento of your visit? Daniel Reeve has filled a gap spotted by local tour company Rover Tours and Jack of the Noldor Blog, and created a Tolkien-inspired map of Wellington’s film sites. It’s in that authentic quill-pen, parchment style Reeve does so well. You can have fun translating the Reeves’ runes into real place names. No doubt there’ll be a mountain of Tolkien-themed goodies available when The Hobbit comes out, but in the meantime, there are a few of these available to buy right now. [See More]

 

In an exclusive interview with Collider.com, Orlando Bloom confirms he’s been in talks to return as Legolas in Peter Jackson’s upcoming Hobbit films.

Excerpts from the interview follow:

Collider: Are you going to appear in The Hobbit?

Bloom: Yeah, it’s looking like that. I’m really excited about going to see Pete [Jackson] again. It’s still a little up in the air, but the idea of working with Pete is fantastic. I can’t actually really talk too much about it, at this point. I just was given the script to piece through, so it’s quite exciting.

Collider: The whole script?

Bloom: Yeah!

Collider: Will you have to do anything to physically prepare for that role again?

Bloom: Are you telling me that I’ve put on weight, in the last 10 years? I just have to grow my hair really long and blonde again.

Collider: Isn’t he a younger version?

Bloom: Yeah.

There’s a lively discussion going on over at our message boards with fans speculating (both seriously and in jest!) the role Legolas will have in the films. Join in the fun!