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It might not be long before we divert our attention from wizards and vampires to hobbits and gnomes with two upcoming Hollywood films.

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has officially signed on to write The Hobbit, the prequel to the LOTR series, along with screenwriting teammates Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. They will be joining director Guillermo del Toro for the planned two-part Hobbit film, which will be shot next fall in New Zealand and will be released in Christmas 2011 and 2012. That's still a long time to wait for the films, but they are sure treat for LOTR fans after the success of the New Line-produced Rings series.

The story of The Hobbit goes back way before Frodo Baggins' time, and focuses instead on the adventures of his uncle, Bilbo Baggins, and how he finds the One Ring that was lost for years.

Meanwhile, gnomes take over Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in the upcoming animated film Gnomeo and Juliet, which has actually been planned years ago but was dropped by Pixar. Gnomeo will now be released under Miramax.

What got us excited about the animated film, apart from it featuring Elton John's songs, is news that James McAvoy of Atonement and Wanted and Emily Blunt of The Devil Wears Prada will be providing the voices for Gnomeo and Juliet! Emily, as you might remember, was funny and brilliant as sarcastic Emily in The Devil Wears Prada, while James has proven himself a charming and mysterious leading man in his recent films. And for us, Romeo and Juliet will never get old, especially since people keep remaking it in such unusual ways.

Photos courtesy of Movieweb