Peter Jackson Reveals 'The Hobbit' Secrets

The upcoming movie, The Hobbit, Peter Jackson's prequel to the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, may just be starting filming, but the celebrated director can't wait to talk about it.

Jackson has revealed a few cast secrets for his anticipated two-part film on Facebook. Earlier in production, EastEnders actor Rob Kazinsky, who was set to play Fili, pulled out of the movie for personal reasons. Jackson posted that he's been replaced by Aussie star Dean O'Gorman. "Dean is a terrific Kiwi actor, who I am thrilled to be working with," Jackson wrote. "He's recently been in an excellent TV series down here called 'The Almighty Johnsons', and I should let fans of that show know that our shooting schedule allows Dean to continue with a second series next year. Dean will be joining us next week."

Jackson isn't shy about revealing his reasons behind casting, either, as if his Facebook posts are individual commendations. He also announced that actor Lee Pace will portray Legolas' father, Thranduil. "He's going to be great. We loved his performance in a movie called 'The Fall' a few years ago, and have been hoping to work with him since …. [he] came to mind almost immediately," Jackson wrote.

Many of the old favorites from The Lord of the Rings cast have signed on for The Hobbit, including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and Cate Blanchett. The projected release date for Part 1 of The Hobbit is December 2012. —KIMBERLY STEELE