Stars of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings have promised the director that they will take part in his version of The Hobbit if such a venture were to go ahead.

Following hints from Jackson that he might want to make an adaptation of The Hobbit, Tolkein's story that precedes The Lord of the Rings, the actors are now enthusiastically encouraging the idea.

Billy Boyd, the actor who played Pippin, said: "People want it so much. There was talk of us playing our characters' relatives. I'm sure we'd all make ourselves free for that."