The second stretch of filming for the two-part Hobbit adaptation is set to begin later this month. Even though there has already been over one hundred days of shooting, the final roles are still being cast for parts in the later portions of movie two.

Deadline is reporting that the great Billy Connolly has been cast as Dain Ironfoot, the leader of a fierce band of Dwarf warriors and cousin to Thorin Oakenshield:

We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can’t wait to see him on the Battlefield!

It is hard to call this perfect casting before we see Connolly in action, but if it is possible we here at The Flickcast are somehow now even more excited for the final Hobbit film. The next two years are going to be very big for Billy Connolly who has yet to really break out here in the states.

Aside from his role in 2013′s Hobbit finale he will also be providing a pivotal voice in the next Pixar film, Brave.

Filmmaking is often a fun and very collaborative process. In the past, however, it usually took place mostly in secluded locations where the majority of fans never saw it or even really knew about it until a particular film was released into theaters.

Now that we live in the age of the Internets, the possibilities are almost endless as to how filmmakers can involve an audience in the entire process of creating a film. Case in point today is Peter Jackson and his production of The Hobbit.

The director has released another in a series of videos giving audiences a look at the ongoing production of his epic. In this one, Jackson talks about the cast, locations, logistics and a lot more sure to make fans everywhere even more excited for the film’s release.

Check out this very cool video after the break. Look for more from Jackson and company as the film progresses and, of course, expect to see The Hobbit in theaters on December 14, 2012.

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Drunk History is back on the web, but this time they’re showing the holiday spirit with guest stars Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, and Jim Carrey.

The mother of all video game fan films has arrived as the Left 4 Dead flick hits the web. Be sure to stick around till the end for some awesome gaming cameos.

Speaking of fan films, we stumbled across the best real life gaming adaptation in the history of the web. Say hello to Battlefield 3 In Real Life.

It’s Christmas time everywhere in the world (well, almost everywhere), even in Arkham City. But instead of visits from a man in red, they get a famous caped crusader.

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2012 is a big year for Ringers, obviously the first part of The Hobbit hits screens, but now they have the arrival of Lord of the Rings LEGO sets and games to look forward to. LEGO has announced that starting the summer of 2012 they are going to be in the Lord of the Rings business.

“Only LEGO, with their expertise in the construction category, is capable of doing justice to the incredibly imaginative environments depicted in the world of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and the two films based on THE HOBBIT… These films give life to amazing worlds and characters and we are thrilled to bring fans these products that deliver an imaginative play experience befitting of these beloved properties.”

LEGO has been working with Warner Bros. properties for the last few years with the successful LEGO Harry potter and LEGO DC Universe lines, now one of the most respected film franchises of all time will get their LEGO due. The most exciting aspect of this news is the confirmation of LEGO Lord of the Rings video games. The first game announced is based on the upcoming Hobbit film due out next year.

Check out more details about what to expect from new partnership after the jump.

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There are few films upcoming as anticipated as The Hobbit. The predecessor of The Lord of the Rings represents a return to Middle Earth and everyones favorite race of furry feet halflings. Telling the tale of Frodo’s uncle Bilbo who… wait, does anyone really need a run down of what The Hobbit is? Didn’t think so.

So when co-star and 2nd unit director, Andy Serkis, lets loose that a teaser for this massive film is due out this Christmas, it is news.  Serkis told IGN in a recent interview that we should be seeing our first glimpse of the new film this holiday season. Best speculation points to either Tintin or the new Sherlock Holmes film.

Tintin would make a lot of sense because Peter Jackson is that film’s producer and the previously mentioned Serkis is also in the film. That said, Sherlock Holmes: A Gane of Shadows is a Warner Bros. production, and it might behoove WB to keep the excitement of this teaser in the family.

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Up yours, Snow White! Fans of dwarves and fantasy alike will be pleased to see the latest photo from Peter Jackson The Hobbit, featuring all 13 dwarves doin’ their dwarf thing.

From the left, they’re Jed Brophy as “Nori,” Dean O’Gorman as “Fili,” Mark Hadlow as “Dori,” James Nesbitt as “Bofur,” Peter Hambleton as “Gloin,” Graham McTavish as “Dwalin,” Richard Armitage as “Thorin Oakenshield,” Ken Stott as “Balin,” John Callen as “Oin,” Stephen Hunter as “Bombur,” William Kircher as “Bifur,” Adam Brown as “Ori,” and Aidan Turner as “Kili.” [Not pictured: Wilford Brimley as “Groin,” Brian Cox as “Drunky,” and Rip Torn as “Farty.”]

Reprising their roles from the Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy are Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom. Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) will star as Bilbo Baggins.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is scheduled for release December 14^th, 2012; The Hobbit: There and Back Again December 13^th, 2013.

Click through for a larger version of the pic.

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Peter Jackson has never been too shy to allow cameras to document the behind the scenes machinations of the Lord of the Rings franchise. The original trilogy had hundreds of hours of special features dedicated to the creation of the popular film franchise.

Now with The Hobbit in full swing the tradition continues. Jackson has just released his third production diary, this time focusing on the recently revealed dwarves. The diary itself is structured around cast and crews favorite memories of the first block of shooting, but thigs quickly develop into a dwarf love fest. It is clear that diminutive stars of the film are quickly becoming the life of the sets.

Besides the dwarves, the diary also showcases a few quick tidbits that will make any ringer giddy. We see more of the “Riddles in the Dark” scene, including some decent angles of Martin Freeman in full costume and Gollum in his mo cap suit. Elrond, Gandalf and Galadrial show up to tease a certain council meeting and there’s a father son reunion of Gimili and Gloin.

Finally the diary ends on a wonderful surprise that I refuse to ruin for you, but suffice to say it is a comforting sight to see.

Check out all three of the first diaries after the jump. The Hobbit arrives in theaters in 2012.

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As promised, Peter Jackson is delivering on some great goodies and sneak peeks on his upcoming return to the world of J.R.R. Tolkein with The Hobbit. First we got a great look at the dwarves Nori, Ori, and Dori, and now we’re getting a few more great dwarves revealed, as the first image of Kili and Fili surfaces.

Played by Dean O’Gorman (Fili) and Aidan Turner (Kili), these two dwarves will aid Bilbo in his upcoming journey across the globe. Here’s the official description.

Two of the youngest Dwarves, Fili and Kili have been born into the royal line of Durin and raised under the stern guardianship of their uncle, Thorin Oakensheild. Neither has ever travelled far, nor ever seen the fabled Dwarf City of Erebor. For both, the journey to the Lonely Mountain represents adventure and excitement. Skilled fighters, both brothers set off on their adventure armed with the invincible courage of youth, neither being able to imagine the fate which lies before them.

A bit familiar, these characters all look like they belong in the world Jackson helped create on film a decade ago with The Lord of the Rings. That’s more than something another famed trilogy director could pull off (looking at you, Lucas!).

Take a look at the full image after the jump and keep your ears and eyes open for more glimpse at The Hobbit in the coming months leading up to the film’s release.

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This year’s Comic-Con International was looking like it would be a bit lame with studios like Marvel, Paramount, Warner Bros, and other big companies dropping out of the festivities entirely. That means we won’t be seeing massive lines for Hall H and a glimpse at Henry Cavill in the Superman suit or footage of Thor and Hulk whomping on each other.

Instead we’re getting some of the lesser known properties in that famous football stadium-sized room known as “Hall H” such as The Knights of Badassdom and Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil. With the very first day of programming for the ‘Con announced, it looks like we’re going to be getting just that, and a truck load of TV.

One good note is that all things Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 will be in the early half of Thursday, leaving the rest of the weekend vampire free (except for those Southern vamps from True Blood).

Check out the full day’s schedule after the jump, and head to their official Scheduler app, so you can make official the things you want to see that weekend!

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Welcome to another edition of On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage during the week. Let is know if we missed something interesting.

Let’s get started!

• Jamie Foxx is no Will Smith, but that didn’t stop Quentin Tarantino from getting him to play his slave (in a non-offensive way) in Django Unchained.

• We’ll be getting the final film in a mere weeks, but that hasn’t stopped J.K. Rowling from keeping the Harry Potter franchise top-of-brain with the newest marketing ploy, Pottermore.

• Pixar is being pretty secretive about their newest film, Brave. The first thing we’re getting, however, is a glimpse at the very stylized characters of the film.

• We know that Entourage is a pretty douchey show, but this new poster makes us feel like they may just know themselves, and feel really bad about it.

• A Russian company called Stoyn has helped make every 80s fanboy’s dream come true by releasing Pop Culture Popsicles. We have a feeling the Darth Vader flavor may taste more like plastic than anything else.

• The very first images of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy have hit the web. Strangely, they look identical to Peter Jackson’s last trilogy about a ring…

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At the beginning of this year, MGM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy which meant two things for film fans everywhere: there was a distinct possibility that we wouldn’t see The Hobbit or the 23rd film in the James Bond franchise for the unforeseeable future.

As we all know, Jackson is down under working on The Hobbit as we speak, and it looks like Bond may have just gotten saved, as both MGM and Sony have come to a deal and will work together to get the film made by 2012. From THR:

Sony Pictures, which released the last two James Bond movies, has struck a deal with MGM to co-finance and distribute worldwide the next Bond, still known only as Bond 23.

With Bond 23 set for release on Nov. 9, 2012, Sony and MGM also plan to join forces for the next film in the ongoing series, Bond 24, under a similar arrangement.

As part of the deal, announced Wednesday by MGM’s Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum and Sony’s Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal, MGM and Sony are also exploring co-financing deals on future movies produced by each of the studios during the next five years.

Along with Bond 23 and 24, Sony Pictures and MGM are locked in to release The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake and are in talks about working together on the Total Recall remake.

I remember my first video camera. It was kinda big and the quality wasn’t really that great but still, it was all mine. I used it to create what I thought were some pretty cool little movies using my friends and kids from the neighborhood. I’ll bet Peter Jackson must be feeling a bit like I did today considering he’s got some new video cameras as well.

That’s right tech and film buffs, Mr. Jackson has gone ahead and purchased 30 new Red Epic 3D cameras so he can use them to film The Hobbit. Of course, these 5K resolution cameras are a bit nicer than the one I used all those years ago. Each camera package sports a host of cutting edge features including the EPIC-M camera body itself, titanium mount, 5-inch touchscreen LCD, REDmote, four batteries, a four-pack of 128-GB SSD cards to capture video onto and a charger. Total cost per package? $58,000.

The folks at Red expect to being making the cameras by hand starting next month and have them to Jackson in time for him to start filming The Hobbit next February. If any of the rest of you want to get your hands on one of these babies, I guess you’ll just have to wait in line.

Of course, the other bit of news we can deduce from this purchase is that The Hobbit will be shot in 3D. Do we like that? Hard to say. I guess, as always, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.