Tom Waits Under Consideration for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit

Peter Jackson recently let slip some interesting tidbits about the long-awaited film adaptation of The Hobbit, the two-part prequel to his legendary (and fourth best of the decade) Lord of the Rings series. At a cocktail party for his new flick, The Lovely Bones, Jackson revealed that auditions are well underway for the role of leading man (well, halfling) Bilbo Baggins (via AceShowbiz).

Actors reportedly under consideration for the role include James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliffe and Martin Freeman. And according to one of Harry Knowles’ infamous “trusted sources,” you can add Tom Waits to that list as well.

In a statement to Paste, Waits’ publicist said, “No one has contacted him about this role.” Makes sense, considering that Waits, though certainly young at heart, is probably a little on the old side for taking on the role of the youthful Bilbo. Even so, think about it! Could be fun. And besides, there’s no way he could do any more damage to the Baggins name than Leonard Nimoy already has:

But what about Waits as the voice of Smaug, the sinister fire-breathing dragon? After all, he’s already played The Devil, so you know he’s got the chops. Make it so, Jackson!

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