With filming starting early next year for Guillermo del Toro's two-film take on The Hobbit, news on casting decisions for the new movies is, it's fair to say, quite eagerly awaited. Much of the speculation at the moment surrounds the central role of Bilbo Baggins, which has been linked with the likes of Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy thus far.

Yet at the end of last week, another name got chucked into the proverbial ring. And it was the name of the outgoing Doctor Who, David Tennant. Tennant, who is heading to Comic-Con for the first time in a few weeks' time, was being tipped for the role.

There's nothing official behind this, it seems, but his name is being touted around now by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly and MTV. Signs, perhaps, of Tennant's rising stature in the US?

It's not the first time that a Doctor Who actor has been linked with the role, of course. Sylvester McCoy got down to the last two to play Bilbo Baggins in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, before losing out to Ian Holm. And if it did prove to be true that Tennant was down for the part, then we suspect you could cross a Doctor Who movie off the schedule for a while. The Hobbit will be shooting for a year to make the two films, and that's going to have a significant knock on effect for anyone who joins the cast.

It's now reported to be unlikely that the identity of Bilbo Baggins will be revealed at Comic-Con, but we wouldn't entirely rule it out. And nor would we dismiss the thought that Tennant could yet be swapping the Tardis for Middle Earth...

We'll keep you posted.