Pictured: OMG cat takes a look at MGM’s accounting records.

Last month we reported that the seventh Doctor Who, Sylvester McCoy, had been cast as “the second biggest lead” in The Hobbit.  At the time, it sounded like he’d be playing Bilbo Baggins, a role he was nearly cast in for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Now the Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Standard — which sounds like two characters J. R. R. Tolkien would write about but is actually McCoy’s hometown newspaper — has an update from McCoy himself. Nice of him to give the scoop to the little hometown paper with the absurdly long name.

Mr McCoy told the Standard that contrary to widespread internet rumours, he’s not vying for the role of Bilbo in The Hobbit (due to start filming next year) – but is one of two actors being considered for one of the wizard parts.  “I am being cast in The Hobbit,” he said. “We’re currently in negotiations – there are two of us under consideration. It’s not the Bilbo role, but could be bigger.” [absurdly long-named paper via FirstShowing]

Yeah, well, it doesn’t take much to be bigger than Bilbo; he’s a freaking hobbit.  Oh, you meant . . . oh, I see.  Anyway, MGM’s financial problems have held up production, but Peter Jackson recently said Warner Brothers is “making progress untangling the MGM situation”.  I’m assuming that means they delivered a wheelbarrow full of gold doubloons to MGM and said, “Just let us have the damn rights already.”

Assuming the movie is getting made, BleedingCool reports McCoy’s negotiating for the role of Radagast the Brown, who unintentionally helped Saruman capture Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring and then unintentionally helped him escape.  Also, he got the nickname “the Brown” after a particularly spirited Lava Taco Tuesday in the Shire.  Just what I heard.