New photos from 'The Hobbit'

Expect to see more and more photos from "The Hobbit" films arrive on the Web as production for the two-part adventure continues. Peter Jackson is currently busy filming "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," and Empire got a hold of these two stills.

Okay, nothing major going on here, but they show Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. The first film will hit theaters Dec. 14, 2012, and "The Hobbit: There and Back Again is set for release Dec. 13, 2013.

Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee and Hugo Weaving star in the epic, which overcame lots of hurdles and is finally in full swing. With Jackson at the helm, I am 100 percent confident we will be in for a large treat. Who's excited?

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Martin Freeman is Bilbo Baggins in 'The Hobbit'

It's late in the day, but this is definitely the biggest news piece of today: the casting announcement for "The Hobbit." And yes, Martin Freeman ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy") will play Bilbo Baggins.

Also starring in "The Hobbit" are Richard Armitage (he will play Thorin Oakenshield), Rob Kazinsky, Aidan Turner, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Stephen Hunter, Mark Hadlow and Peter Hambleton.

"Despite the various rumours and speculation surrounding this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us," Peter Jackson said in a press release sent out by New Line Cinema earlier this evening.

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Short takes: Martin Freeman boards ‘Nativity’

• Martin Freeman, known for his role in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” has signed on to star in Debbie Isitt’s British comedy “Nativity,” Variety reported earlier today. The film follows two English schools competing for the best nativity play.

• Actor Don Johnson returns to the big screen in “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy” and Disney’s family comedy “When in Rome,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Over the past years, the actor was busy starring on TV’s “Nash Bridges.”

• The Hollywood Reporter says Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg and Eva Longoria are just a few celebrities to show up in “Teenage Paparazzi,” a documentary by Adrian Grenier about this relationship with a young paparazzo.

• Imagi Intl. is moving ahead with “Tusker,” a computer-animated tale about an elephant’s adventure in India. The project was initially in development at DreamWorks Animation but got cancelled in 2005 (Variety).