Man of mystery Somewhere out there is an actor who has no idea he might be the star of "The Hobbit." Producer Peter Jackson and director Guillermo Del Toro said that although casting won't be announced for at least a year, they're hard on the search for their young Bilbo Baggins, played by Ian Holm in "Fellowship of the Ring." "I can tell you that it's down to a few names that we agree on," Del Toro said of the brainstorming sessions. "And that our first choice ... completely, magically, we said the same name. All of us!" Let the speculation begin.

The final reel We do know that Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are in talks to reprise their "Lord of the Rings" roles in "The Hobbit." ... Anthony Hopkins has been crowned as "King Lear," with Keira Knightley and Gwyneth Paltrow cast as two of his daughters. ... Spike Lee's next project is a documentary about Michael Jordan. ... Besides "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," Christian Bale has committed to two additional sequels. ... Richard Dreyfuss will work up a sneer as Vice President Dick Cheney in "W." ... Simon Pegg reports his next film will be a comic-book-nerds-on-the-road movie called "Paul." ... Hugh Hefner wants Robert Downey Jr. to portray him in a biopic. ... Chris Noth will star with Renée Zellweger in "My One and Only," based on a childhood adventure of actor George Hamilton. ... Ewan McGregor joins the cast of the Hillary Swank Amelia Earhart biography as Gene Vidal, father of Gore and purportedly the flier's true love. ... Rainn Wilson reports he plays a "professor who turns into a car who turns into a robot" in "Transformers 2." He's kidding, we think. ... MGM has floated the possibility of a seventh "Rocky" movie. For our money, "Rocky Balboa" was a surprisingly satisfying end to the series. Emphasis on end.

CYNTHIA DICKISON