Comic-Con: The Hobbit Just Got a Little Funnier with Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry does it all. He writes, acts, speaks, blogs -- basically, he's putting us all out of jobs. His latest role will be that of an ordinary human, albeit one who gets to hang out with hobbits and dwarves and dragons.

Compared to the The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbitwas always a lighter adventure, a prequel meant for younger readers as a segue into the epic, dark experiences of the Fellowship of the Ring and their quest to Mordor. Keeping with his past trilogy, it's likely that Peter Jackson's upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit will keep the same grim tone, but with recent casting additions, there may be room in the film for a bit more comedy.

According to Peter Jackson's official Facebook page, British comedian/writer Stephen Fry has been cast in the film as the Master of Laketown. Bilbo Baggins and his posse of dwarves are welcomed to the town by the Master, who's real intentions are driven by greed and weakness.

Jackson and Fry have a previously relationship, spending a good part of the last decade working together on a remake of the 1955 war film The Dam Busters. Now Jackson's expanded his relationship with Fry, bringing him into theHobbit fold in a role that could be more substantial than the original text would have you believe, now that the source material is being broken into two parts.

For those unfamiliar with Fry, or simply need a reason to love this bit of casting, watch this:

Jackson also updated with a few more casting additions, including relative unknown Ryan Gage as the Master of Watertown's slimy servant Alfrid and Conan Stevens as the orc Azgog. Jackson posted a picture of himself and Stevens on set, to give you an idea how tall this lumbering actor really is (Jackson is aroundn 6'5"). Not someone you want to mess around with.

The Hobbit is a strong contender for a panel at SDCC this year, so keep your eyes peeled for official announcements soon.

Gemma Arterton Rumored for Ridley Scott's Alien Prequels

In an interview with the British paper The Sunday Times (via Digital Spy) for her upcoming Stephen Frears film Tamara Drewe, actress Gemma Arterton told them she will be meeting with Ridley Scott about possibly starring in his planned prequels to his breakout 1979 sci-fi thriller Alien.

Apparently Scott was so impressed by Arterton's performance in J. Blakeson's The Disappearance of Alice Creed, that he wanted to meet with her for the main female role. Some will remember that Scott's casting of Sigourney Weaver as Ridley in the original Alien pretty much kicked-off her career. Who knows when this meeting may happen and if anything will come out of it, but we can't think of a better way for Arterton to show off her bad-ass side then to fight aliens.