While talking to Sean Astin today about his new movie The Final Season, I asked the Lord of the Rings star to comment on the recent Entertainment Weekly cover story, which speculated that the recent reconciliation between LotR director Peter Jackson and New Line could signal that the once-stalled Hobbit movie could once again be moving forward.

"I've never wavered for a second," Astin declared. "Peter's wavered; the studio's wavered; lots of people have wavered. But I have said from day one -- and I've never changed -- that The Hobbit will get made as a movie."

Though Astin's LotR character, Samwise Gamgee, doesn't appear in The Hobbit, the 36-year-old actor indicated that he'd be willing to play Sam's father Gaffer Gamjee, or perhaps even provide voice-over narration for the film. "I'd do anything Peter wants me to do," he offered.

As far as potential directors are concerned, Astin asserted emphatically that there's only one man for the job:

"The person who should direct The Hobbit isn't Sam Raimi, isn't any of the other people who have been mentioned. The person who should direct The Hobbit is Peter Jackson. And the person who will direct The Hobbit is Peter Jackson. And five years from now you can go to the DVD store and buy The Hobbit directed by Peter Jackson. Mark my words. It's a mortal lock. Unless somebody gets hit by a bus, it will happen."

Just to be safe, someone should advise Jackson to avoid busy intersections.

Astin's new movie, The Final Season, opens nationwide this Friday.