Elijah Wood speaks out

Elijah Wood has spoken out about the recent decision not to use Peter Jackson as director on the film adaptation of The Hobbit.

New Line, the production company behind the Lord of the Rings films and the proposed prequels, told the director of the trilogy that his services would not be needed for The Hobbit.

But in an interview with Empire Online, Elijah Wood - who played ring-bearer Frodo Baggins in the three films - said he thought it was "a total shame" that Jackson is unlikely to return to the franchise.

He also expressed his disappointment that another team may replace "the thousands of people that lent their artistic creativity for ten years to this world of Middle Earth".

It is widely believed that Jackson's talents will not be required due to legal issues relating to profits from the original trilogy.

But Wood - who has since starred in films such as Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Sin City - said that there may still be hope if New Line loses the rights to the prequels.

"It's just sad that it's ultimately a business decision and not at all considering the fans," he added.

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