"We thought we were finished,” said Astin. “The characters don’t even exist in The Hobbit, so it wasn’t even a pipe dream to imagine we would be able to reprise the roles of Sam and Frodo. But they've come up with something interesting and we (Astin and Wood) think it fits very well without infringing upon the integrity of the original novel. It's great. We are really thrilled. Those films (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) marked a huge, life-altering experience for us. It's been over eight years since the last time we were all in New Zealand together, so it'll be a beautiful reunion. I'm just excited to go back and see my Mr. Frodo and everyone else again," Astin concluded.

Now, on the first day of filming, Jackson has revealed a sneak peek inside the new Bag End, the home of lead hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

The photo of Jackson stepping through the front door of Baggins' fictional home in The Shire was the only photograph issued by Warner Brothers yesterday, part of strict secrecy surrounding the film. A spokesman for Jackson has said his health was "good" after a scare earlier this year resulted in surgery for a perforated stomach ulcer.

Warner Bros would not reveal the location of Bag End, but it is understood it is not part of the original "Hobbiton" near Matamata, created for The Lord of the Rings movies.

Hobbiton boosted tourist numbers in Matamata by tens of thousands when the trilogy was shot there almost a decade ago, and fans still flock there.

Crew members lips' are sealed as to which scenes will be shot first, and which cast members will be involved.