If the studio brass have their way, it appears that James McAvoy may be heading to Middle Earth. According to Daily Express, an insider has told the London newspaper that James McAvoy is being highly touted for the role of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.

"A number of names have privately been doing the rounds, including Daniel Radcliffe and Jack Black but James is the one the film's bosses really want," said the newspaper's source. He went on to add, "They're expected to have talks with him soon so hopefully it could be confirmed in the not too distant future."

Director Guillermo del Toro wouldn't comment on the news, but he did offer that, while recently meeting with Peter Jackson, "I can tell you it's down to a few names that we all agree upon. For our first choice, completely magically, we all said the same name."

We'll have more information as it unfolds. The Hobbit is still in early stages of pre-production and the film won't start production until sometime in 2009. The film is slated for release in December of 2011.