Despite some recent financial headaches that halted filming for two months, the production of the upcoming Riddick, which will bring Vin Diesel back to the star-making role he first played in the 2000 sci-fi thriller Pitch Black, is moving full-speed ahead.

The David Twohy-directed sequel has just added a new player to its growing cast: according to Variety, Jordi Molla, the Spanish actor who has played outsized heavies in big-budget action movies such as Knight and Day and Bad Boys II, is currently in negotiations to play the role of “Santana, a mercenary who heads up an eight-man crew tasked with finding and killing Riddick.” The actor was recently seen as the villain in the Zoe Saldana action flick Colombiana.

The fifth behind-the-scenes video from the ongoing production of The Hobbit has been released, and you can watch it here below.

The two-part film’s arduous shoot has just wrapped its studio phase and the latest video follows director Peter Jackson and his sizable cast and crew as they gear up for their literal return to Middle Earth as the location shoot begins. But first every member of the production has to pack up their props, set pieces, toiletries, and children for the big move. Oh, and they can’t forget the livestock either.

It’s being reported that last year’s Academy Awards host, Hugh Jackman, has decided that he doesn’t want to host for a second year in a row. Jackman currently has a Broadway show going on and obviously has other projects making him quite the busy man. He ensured that he might be willing to return sometime in the future, but as for consecutive appearances, he was not interested.

Every year, fans of the Oscar ceremony anxiously wonder who will host the show that year. The decision on who will host sets the entire table and hints at whether you get really excited, or really skeptical of the show and how entertaining it could be.

Last year, Jackman was brought in to host the ceremony. It was one of many new moves that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science have taken to try and refresh the awards and bring new fans in to fortify their dwindling ratings numbers. Traditionally, the Oscars were hosted by comedic entertainers and actors who weren’t usually nominated and could really own the stage — most popular of them being either Johnny Carson or Billy Crystal. Jackman did a great job with the production and, being a well-trained stage actor, had no problem making a flashy show of it, although his effort was met with many mixed reactions overall.

If you’re not familiar with the story, for a long while now, the plan to build a gigantic new movie and TV studio on the East Coast has been fast in motion. The goal was to have this huge facility similar to that of a the legendary Hollywood production studios that would allow the big time film and television producers out there a legitimate option to always shooting out West. It took quite a while to get things lined up, and changes had to be made in the state’s former tax and financial set-up to make it appealing enough, but all hurdles were cleared and the massive project was approved. The development is currently moving right along at its Plymouth, Massachusetts location, and the $500 Million Plymouth Rock Studios is heading straight for a Fall 2010 opening planned.

So what exactly will this brand new high-tech, completely “Green,” eco-friendly LEED studio complex offer to those who set up shop there for big projects? The studio is being constructed on 240 acres of land, and will become the largest production facilities in the entire Northeast, which will create 2,000 new job opportunities. It will contain 14 sound stages, with 10 acres set to become back lots. Included among these shooting locations, will also be all of the other major areas to production: offices for production and post-production, casting agencies, and even an amenity village with a bunch of convenient on site services, like a coffee shop, dry cleaners, retail and grocery/convenience stores, hotels, restaurants, and a post office, among many others. With all of these things, people won’t have to worry about coming and going — everything will be right there for them in what they call a “studio as city concept.” All of this paired with the 25% film tax credit and a more calm, tranquil, and beautiful location that’s only an hour from Boston and multiple airport options, makes Plymouth Rock Studios an incredibly attractive new option.

Click on over to see a great virtual tour video, and a few images, including some concepts of what the studio will look like when completed.