HARRY HERE WITH A BRIEF UPDATE! Below in Talk Back Deluca posted the following regarding the reason New Line is holding out for the "BIG" announcement. Here's Deluca...

Deluca-- " The reason we're doing one big announcement is pretty simple. We'll get more national p.r. value out of one major announcement of the entire cast than if it trickles out one by one. We're not trying to frustrate the fans, we just have a better shot at things like VANITY FAIR, G.Q., TIME, NEWSWEEK, and USA TODAY if it's one big press release, and we think the national p.r. is worth it and will help promote the movie. I can assure everyone that Peter Jackson is driving the casting and quality is the only consideration."

Hey folks, Harry here. Yesterday, the following posting was made to the Lord Of The Rings casting rumor TALK BACK purporting to be from Michael Deluca. Yeah that's right the President/COO of NEW LINE PRODUCTIONS (or at least I believe that's his.... Suit title) Well, in fact it was him. And yes that is his email address. You see Deluca is one of the Execs that is not afraid to actually confront and talk with folks in the movie geek world. He also tends to shoot pretty darn straight. If he can't answer a question, he just won't answer the question, he doesn't out and out lie like some Execs and folks in the biz I have dealt with. So now that you know it was him... Let's take a look at what he said...

Deluca --"Wow! Fans really hate studios don't they. Look, the bottom line is no one is cast yet beyond who's been announced."

Harry Here. Folks I really have to shoot straight with you on this. NEW LINE is not the bad guy on LORD OF THE RINGS. If you are trying to put them in that corner right now, you are in the wrong... Not these guys. Remember, they are the ones that suggested to Peter.... 3 films. Peter was ready to do the books in 2 films. They have also been giving Peter an amazing amount of latitude to make these films.

Deluca --"Peter's passionate about one particular unknown for Aragorn, and he's in the midst of convincing us."

Harry Here. Now this statement could possibly be used by the 'fans' to cry havok and let loose the dogs of war, BUT... Wouldn't YOU need convincing that an UNKNOWN could play Aragorn? I mean, I think ideally we would like a lot of unknowns in this film, that way... for the time being... They would simply be the characters they are playing. BUT at the same time, they have to be everybit as charismatic and bankable (with this film) as a star or better known actor. Can you imagine how hard it would be today to cast Harrison Ford as Han Solo in the current studio system? Fox would need convincing out the wazoo. And they needed it back then as well. Ultimately if this person is PERFECT for the role, he'll get the role. But as a lot of you have said, there are lots of people, already known, that could and perhaps should play Aragorn. I've seen everyone from Daniel Day Lewis to George Clooney suggested, but ultimately the time commitment and final price tag of the star should be weighed against the possibility of this UNKNOWN being a future star, with this being the startling DEBUT. Hopefully, this unknown is perfect, and blows us away.

Deluca-- "We're still waiting on a great choice for Gandalf, and there's a certain husband and wife team for Faramir and Galadriel that looks like it might work."

Harry Here. Hmmmmmmmm.... Unfortunately due to EYES WIDE SHUT, my brain keeps saying Tom and Nicole, but I keep thinking that their schedules surely are a bit tight to fit in here. We know that Bruce Willis wants to be in the film ANYWHERE, but I can't imagine Demi as Galadriel, besides aren't they currently separated? Then of course there is Gabriel Byrne and Ellen Barkin, but I think they are both a bit too old for the role. Then there's Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon, but are they too young, and are they just boyfriend/girlfriend with a kid on the way? Hmmmmm... I'm trying to think of other married couple acting pairs. Are Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter married? Ya know Baldwin/Basinger would be an intriguing choice. Duchovny/Leoni would be a nightmare I wouldn't even want to contemplate. Neeson/Richardson would be... interesting. Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke were just suggested in TALK BACK below (Yes, I am editting this in) and ya know... They'd do pretty good in those roles. Well, I'm sure this will inevitably get the rumor mill crunching in overdrive... But then I suppose that's kinda the point eh?

Deluca-- "Believe me, no one is trying to frustrate the fans, it's just that the p.r. people are trying to engineer the biggest announcement possible. Trust us, and anytime someone wants to e-mail me directly, feel free for undercover answers. It's michael_deluca@newline.com"

Harry here. Alright, this is where Deluca comes out and says he's way too cool for Exec school. The main point is this... NEW LINE is not the enemy on this film... Not yet, and hopefully not for the forseeable future... not on this film. We, as fans, never want them to be the bad guys... In fact, we want NO BAD GUYS on this project at all. We want this film to go smoothly and perfectly because... I believe and hope that this ends up being the dream we've all had for a fantasy film. Believe me, if NEW LINE does become the bad guy, I'll scream it from the top of the AICN hill. Everyone needs to be calm, I know that's hard to do... This is a project that gets a lot of ye excited. This is a property that you genuinely care about. BUT... This is a film that is still a very long way off and the process is... basically... just beginning. So be calm. Unless you just point blank hate Elijah Wood and Sean Astin... you haven't a damn thing to complain about. And if you categorically hate them... tune out to LOTR news. Avoid it till you see that first trailer and you begin drooling in your seat like a Pavlovian puppy. But ya know what? That trailer. It's a long ways away. Put it on cruise control for a while.