It seems an April Fool's Day joke had gotten a bit out of hand, with speculation that Stuart Townsend was playing an archer named Bard in The Hobbit. The actor shot down the rumors earlier today, saying he is not cast in the Middle Earth adventure. Here's what he had to say below.

""I don't know where that [rumor] came from. It's not true at all. 'Internet' and 'truth' aren't two words that generally work together."

The story started with an April Fools Day article, which was a fabricated press release announcing Stuart Townsend's involvement as Bard, an archer from the town of Dale.

Stuart Townsend had originally been cast as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring before dropping out.

That April Fools Day story also indicated that Saoirse Ronan was locked to play Itaril, a role she has been speculated to play for some time now, although it has never been confirmed.

The Hobbit is currently in production in New Zealand.