In search of more Lord of the Rings details, yours truly located a December story in the Press On-line of New Zealand where producer Tim Sanders indicated that a number of "extremely well-known" movie stars, who he refused to name, have actively campaigned for parts in Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's classics.
Sanders also tipped that location shooting for the movie will likely take place near Glenorchy, Te Anau and near Queenstown in New Zealand while the article indicated that a "big chunk" of the filming will take place in Southern Lakes and Central Otago.