Elijah Wood Joins "The Hobbit

Hey, wait a minute.  Frodo Baggins wasn't in The Hobbit.  Well he is now, at least in big screen form anyway.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, negotiations began last month for Elijah Wood to reprise his role as the world's most famous ringbearer in Peter Jackson's much anticipated two-part film version of The Hobbit.

Now what the hell is Frodo doing in this movie, seeing as how he's nowhere to be found in the book, which takes place decades before the events of Lord of the Rings?  The folks over at LOTR fansite TheOneRing.net seem to have it figured out:  Frodo will appear at the beginning of both films, in rapt attention with the rest of the audience as Bilbo Baggins tells the story of "There and Back Again," the book he was writing at the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring about his adventures with the dwarves, and which of course was also the book Frodo finishes at the end of Return of the King.  Kind a nice way to bookend the whole Tolkien movie saga, when you think of it.

So does this also mean we'll see Ian Holm reprise his role as the older Bilbo Baggins in these opening scenes?  Maybe even an appearance by Sean Astin as faithful Baggins gardener Sam Gamgee, or fellow hobbit BFFs Merry and Pippin?  Hopefully.  What the hell...if they're bringing back one, let's get the whole gang back together.

The first part of The Hobbit will finally arrive in theaters in December 2012, with the second part set for December 2013.