In many occupations there are unwritten requirements. I mean, you can’t work in a bakery if you don’t like baked goods, but I’m sure the job advertisement doesn’t state “must love bread”. However, were you making a film where the main characters are hobbits (short and slightly podgy creatures with hair from ankle to foot), and you want to half the scaling down effort, then why not advertise for what you require? Heightest? Hey, this is Hollywood.

When will we be put out of our misery? After months of rumours, scuffles, drop-outs and new additions we’re still no closer to knowing when The Hobbit will start shooting. If ever. The last we heard was that once Peter Jackson reluctantly agreed to helm the project, MGM’s money troubles set them back even more. So what’s the latest?

The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has been jetting round the world to meet with potential cast members of The Hobbit.

Bond 23 has been delayed indefinitely by the producers at MGM. The new Bond movie has been delayed due to, “The continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM and the failure to close a sale of the studio.” The statement from MGM further added, “We do not know when development will resume and do not have a date for the release of Bond 23.”

Sir Ian, how could you bamboozle us so? Last week we reported that filming of The Hobbit would finally be getting underway around July, based on a confident assertion by the wizard with the mostest. It seems that Gandalf’s powers are waning however, as today it’s been reported that filming won’t be starting until the end of the year. And possibly not even then. Sigh.

Planned Hobbit films get year-long delay. Planned for a December 2011 release, Variety hinted that Guillermo del Toro’s highly-anticipated adaptation won’t been seen until the “fourth quarter 2012”. As well as delays in writing the second film’s script, MGM’s upcoming sale has also thrown a spanner into the works.

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.