Sean Astin, who played big-hearted hobbit Sam Gamgee in the "Lord of the Rings" films, is stepping into another project steeped in myth.

Astin, along with Leelee Sobieski and Timothy Dalton, will star in NBC's four-hour miniseries "Hercules," according to The Hollywood Reporter. British actor Paul Telfer will play the title role, and Angie Harmon is also in negotiations to join the cast.

The miniseries, tentatively scheduled for May 2005, begins filming in late August in New Zealand. Veteran director Roger Young ("Jesus," "Murder in Mississippi") will helm the Hallmark Entertainment project. Charles Pogue ("The Fly") wrote the script.

The story will focus on the mythological hero's 12 labors, which he undertakes as penance for killing his and his brother's sons. As Hercules, Telfer will continue a string of working in sword-and-sandal films; his other credits are USA's "Spartacus" remake and the independent feature "Alexander the Great from Macedonia."

Sobieski ("Joy Ride," "Uprising") will play Hercules' wife, Deianeira. Astin will play Linus, his music teacher, while former 007 Dalton will portray Amphitryon, the hero's stepfather. Harmon ("Law & Order") is in talks to play Hercules' mother, Alcmene.