Remember all those crazy Bilbo Baggins casting rumors we shared with you recently? Well, Peter Jackson himself has spoken out about what is currently going on with the casting, to set things straight. So we heard the possible candidates are, James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliff, and David Tennant, and that an official  announcement might take place at Comic-Con. According to Peter Jackson don’t hold your breath.  He says in a recent interview:

“No, we won’t be announcing Bilbo for a little while. We’re starting to think about casting, but we’re knee-deep in the script right now. And when we do go to actors, they’re probably going to ask to see a script, so we’re powering ahead with getting the first draft done.”

This makes me wonder if he and Guilermo del Toro even talk about this stuff, because about a month ago, Del Toro said a casting announcement could happen in the the next couple of weeks. I guess he was way off in his estimation, it sure sounded like they were really close. Maybe they had someone, then recently lost them? I don’t know. I’m just trying to figure out why they are telling different stories, unless they are just screwing with the fans heads.

Jackson’s next project to be released is The Lovely Bones, but what does he have planned after that?

“I haven’t yet decided what I’ll be directing after that. At the moment we’re concentrating on writing a couple of little movies with Guillermo [Del Toro]. A couple of small films! (Laughs) And that’s going to take us another few months of writing to do.

“But we are developing a couple of projects which are potentially films that I’d direct for next year. Temeraire is still on the cards. But those are really taking a second place at the moment…”

Peter Jackson picked up the rights to the Temeraire book series last year, which is the perfect property for Jackson to tackle next.  Here is the description of the book written by Naomi Novik:

Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future-and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

Sounds great to me! Besides that, Tintin, and Damnbusters I’m not sure what he’s got planned. I hope he moves forward with Temeraire next, guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Source: Empire