Some more casting news official now, and for a pretty big role.
The voice for Smaug the dragon will be done by Benedict Cumberbatch, he currently being the new Holmes in Steven Moffat's
Sherlock BBC series. So apparently this had been rumored for awhile now, but the very first I'm ever hearing of it and it's when it's definite. Sweet. I know at least a long time ago there was some speculation of maybe Christopher Lee doing the voice, and sure that would be a good fit, but I love this casting, Cumberpatch has a pretty unique voice.
But he'll also be playing the Necromancer. Now, I've still never read any of the Tolkien novels, I just have a general familiarity with that word as being another key element elsewhere in the overall story/history of Middle Earth, thanks to it being talked about here and there throughout all of the documentaries on the Rings DVDs.
http://entertainment.gather.com/view...81474979461375