: : What I've read so far on the 'net (and it is impossible to sort what is the stated intent of the producers from what is rumor) is that the main characters (and I pray that includes Gandalf) will all be 'no names', with some cameos from 'big stars' (producer Peter Jackson says he himself will have a cameo, probably as an orc). I'd say that's how it should be. The tentative release schedule for the 3 movies is Christmas '00, Summer '01, Christmas '01.

There's contradictory info out there at the moment. I've heard Jackson speak of four month intervals between movies, but I suspect New Line will favor the Christmas-Summer-Christmas schedule you've alluded to -- if not greater lag times. It's going to be tough wait if the first film is any good.

: Speaking of orc cameos, don't you think Michael Dorn could do a great Ugluk? Also i agree with others that Patrick Stewart would be a perfect Denethor.

You too? That was one of my first casting thoughts. Stewart also tends not to ham things up like Connery. The only difficulty might be Stewart's relatively short stature, considering that even a latter-day Numenorean like Denethor was likely fairly tall. But good filmmakers can get around difficulties like that (especially if they have the CGI to shrink hobbit actors by a couple of feet).

With luck, we will see no American actors cast in this thing.