Unbearable lightness More trouble on the set of "The Hobbit": A casting agent has been fired after placing ads in a New Zealand newspaper looking for extras with "light skin tones" and for turning down a British woman of Pakistani heritage because she didn't fit the bill. Video footage shows the agent telling prospects, "We are looking for light-skinned people. ... You've got to look like a Hobbit." What, pasty like Sean Astin? A spokesman for Peter Jackson's production company emphasized that "no such instructions were given" for casting.

The final reel The makers of "Zombieland 2" say they are searching for an actor to reprise the original's hilarious cameo, Bill Murray-style. Way to kill the surprise. ... Tom Hanks has joined Kathryn Bigelow's "Triple Frontier," described as a "Traffic"-style tale set in the crime-ridden border regions of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. ... Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender ("Inglourious Basterds") star in the sex-addiction drama "Shame." ... Christopher Nolan says "The Dark Knight Rises" will be his last Batman film.