Some American

tom waits to star in hobbit films… possibly

Yes, that post title was sort of kind of a shameful grab for your attention. But in my defense, it probably totally worked, didn’t it?

Source of anything and everything Guardian.co.uk is reporting that Guillermo Del Toro, director of Pan’s Labyrinth, has placed Waits at the top of his wish list for a part in his two volume production of The Hobbit. Kind of an abstract choice… but that just makes it seem all the more appropriate. Waits is a cinematic gold mine, whether he’s randomly wandering onto the set of Domino, as seen in the clip I’ve posted below, or serving as the obvious source of inspiration for Heath Ledger’s stellar take on the Joker in the Dark Knight (thanks to George Howard for pointing that one out).

But which part? Can’t be Bilbo, for continuity’s sake. Most people around the internet have pegged him for the voice of Smaug, but given the way that Guillermo and producer Peter Jackson are fond of re-arranging story elements for effect, I think Bard the Bowman might be an interesting choice as well. See the description below:

Bard the Bowman: Later known as Bard I, he appears in The Hobbit. Bard of Esgaroth was a skilled Archer and the heir of Girion, the last king of old Dale. He was described as “grim faced” and while a guardsman of Esgaroth he was often predicting floods and poisoned fish. He rallied the guards to defend the town when the Dragon Smaug came and was able to slay the him the Black Arrow after a tip from the old thrush  had revealed an unarmored spot on the dragon’s underside.

Yes. I am a total LoTR nerd. Now for a stellar, and hopefully completely off-the-cuff scene from the craptacular Kiera Knightley vehicle Domino: