David Tennant to play Bilbo Baggins? Maybe, according to a (quickly deleted) Tweet from his (now ex) Burke and Hare star Simon Pegg, who makes more than one hint at Tennant heading to Middle Earth…

Tobey Maguire has denied rumours that he will be playing Hobbit Bilbo Baggins in Guillermo Del Toro’s forthcoming adaptation of the Tolkien classic. The rumour – which we reported two days ago – originated on Latin Review.

Casting rumours for the new film adaptation of The Hobbit are a daily occurrence. The latest from the rumour mill is that Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) might play protagonist Bilbo Baggins.

Despite the considerable hype surrounding it, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit is still yet to be green-lit by a studio, with reports now suggesting filming won’t get off the ground till summer 2010 at the earliest.

You may have picked up on a recent bit of harrumphing from certain quarters concerning Guilliermo del Toro’s Hobbit film: namely, production has been delayed, it hasn’t been formally greenlit by any studio yet, ergo we’re never going to see it and the world will surely be engulfed by a cleansing fire should a hairy-footed teaser trailer ever make it to Youtube.

Following in the footsteps of Simons Callow and Pegg, Hollywood star Brian Cox is rumoured to have signed up for a guest spot in the upcoming Christmas episodes of Doctor Who. The actor, probably best known for his portrayal of a pre-Hopkins Hannibal Lecter in Michael Mann’s Manhunter, is to provide the voice for an as-yet unidentified alien in the specials.