According to PerezHilton.com, Scottish actor James McAvoy has won the leading roll as a younger Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming prequel, The Hobbit, to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

From the article:

Said to take the lead role of hobbit Bilbo Baggins is Scottish actor James McAvoy.

The J.R.R. Tolkien novel is hoping to be the next blockbuster big hit and will be directed by Guillermo del Toro.

The film is scheduled to begin filming later this year in New Zealand.

Also returning to the prequel will be Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf.

In regards to choosing the main lead, an inside source says, “A number of names have been doing the rounds, including Daniel Radcliffe and Jack Black, but James [McAvoy] is the one the film’s bosses really want. They’re expected to have talks soon so hopefully it could be confirmed in the not too distant future.”

As for director del Toro, he adds, “I can tell you it’s down to a few names that we all agree upon. For our first choice, completely magically we all have the same name.”

I’m going to put this right up front: I don’t really like the Lord of the Rings movies. Now, I realize I’m in the minority here. Most people I’ve talked to like these movies, and I don’t hold it against them.

I admit, they’re not badly made, boring or poorly acted. And the special effects are good–though those will look like clay-mation in a couple of years…But the end of the last one, whatever it’s called, went on way too long, and the helmets of the good guys made their army look like a furious band of sword-wielding penises–I laughed so hard, I was shaking, trying to hold in the laughter, and not piss-off the people next to me.

But the worst part, throughout the trilogy, was the glassy-eyed hobbits, and their constant whining. And this next one’s called The Hobbit! You guys have fun at the theater, watching that one. I’ll be at home, looking at porn and playing GTA IV. You tell me who’s having a better time.