Hobbit in the running for superhero flick direction

Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin is planning to make his directing debut on a Marvel comics adaptation of the Fantastic Four - but he’s still waiting for studio bosses to give him the go-ahead.

Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin, who played hobbit Sam Gamgee, is planning to make his directing debut on a Marvel comics adaptation of the Fantastic Four - but he’s still waiting for studio bosses to give him the go-ahead.

The 32-year-old star hopes to film the long-awaited adaptation despite competition from Traffic director Steven Soderbergh, who has George Clooney as Fantastic Four leader Reed Richards.

Astin says: "I'm a friend of George Clooney, too. I think he would make a perfect Reed."

Although the ambitious actor remains discreet about the exact details, he confirms that he’s in the running to direct the mega-budget film.

He adds: "Yes. I'm in the running to direct this $100m to $130m (€79.7m-€103.7m) movie which the studio wants to release in 2004. I've got a meeting scheduled but I can't talk about it yet."