"The Hobbit" like a family reunion for Elijah Wood (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Elijah Wood's return to New Zealand to shoot his part in "The Hobbit" falls on the 10th anniversary of "The Lord of the Rings," a fact not unnoticed to the actor, who likens it to a family reunion.

"It's a rare opportunity to revisit a specific time in my life," Wood told The Hollywood Reporter. "It feels like I'm going back to a giant family reunion in a way; a lot of the same creative team are involved and a number of the cast are coming back."

Wood is reprising his role as Frodo and will be joined by returning "Rings" cast members Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Andy Serkis and Cate Blanchett, among several members of the crew.

While filming on the first feature, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," has begun, Wood said he won't be heading to New Zealand to film his scenes until the fall.

"I read the first script and it's incredible," Wood noted. "It definitely expounds upon the book; there are already characters that are cast that are not in the book, so that indicates that it goes slightly outside the boundaries in the structure of the original novel."

Despite his long-standing relationship with writer-director Jackson, Wood said he hasn't read the second script and has no idea how the big-screen adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novels ends.

"For a while I was excited just at the notion of going back and seeing everybody and playing the character again," Wood said. "Then sitting down and reading it I became really genuinely excited about the films they were making. I think they're going to be amazing."

Wood will return to San Diego Comic-Con next month to promote his FX comedy "Wilfred," and said he's looking forward to the inevitable barrage of "Rings" and "Hobbit" questions.

"It's exciting to be able to talk about two projects at the same time that are at opposite ends of the spectrum," he said.

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" opens December 14, 2012.

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Orlando Bloom joins Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "Lord of the Rings" star Orlando Bloom has joined the cast of Peter Jackson's upcoming "Hobbit" movies -- even though his character, the elf Legolas, doesn't appear in J. R. R. Tolkien's original novel.

Jackson announced the casting in a Facebook post Friday.

"Ten years ago, Orlando Bloom created an iconic character with his portrayal of Legolas," he wrote. "I'm excited to announce today that we'll be revisiting Middle Earth with him once more. I'm thrilled to be working with Orlando again."

Jackson is currently directing the two-movie adaptation in New Zealand.

He helped catapult Bloom to stardom by giving him his first major film roles as Legolas in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Looking back, Jackson wrote on his Facebook page, "I look older and he doesn't! I guess that's why he makes such a wonderful elf."

The "Hobbit" movies, which have been in the works for 14 years, has faced a series of setbacks.

In 2005, Jackson filed suit against New Line Cinema, claiming he had lost revenue from merchandising, video, and computer games releases associated with "The Fellowship of the Ring" and was no longer attached to "The Hobbit."

Three years later, director Guillermo del Toro signed on but dropped out in May 2010 due to scheduling conflicts.

Jackson was confirmed again as director in October 2010, but union disputes in New Zealand threatened to relocate filming to Europe. In January, Jackson underwent surgery for a perforated ulcer, delaying shooting further.

On March 21, it was announced that shooting had begun in Wellington, New Zealand. Jackson also posted two images of himself on his Facebook page hanging out on set.

Actors Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis are reprising their roles from "Rings" in the prequel, which centers on Bilbo (Freeman) finding the supernatural ring and passing it on to his nephew, Frodo (Wood).

The first of the two movies is planned for a December 2012 release and the second is expected a year later.

(Editing by Zorianna Kit)

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