We caught up with Peter Jackson at Comic-Con and collared him on progress with The Hobbit which, although still awaiting official greenlighting and casting, is only a few weeks from having its first script draft signed, sealed and delivered.
So could he tell us what the first line of dialogue in part 1 of The Hobbit would be? Yes, he could. "The film begins in very much the same way as the book begins," says Jackson. In case you haven't consigned the entire book to memory, that means the first words uttered by James McAvoy/Michael Sheen/Daniel Radcliffe/A.N.Other's Bilbo will be "Good morning!"
OK, a morsel of the final script it may be, but it'll keep us going until that casting news comes through. Watch the chat in full here, where you'll also get the low-down on the thrilling, Jackson-produced aliens-in-Joburg sci-fi District 9.
Click here, meanwhile, for all of the Empire team's round-the-clock Comic-Con coverage.