Hobbit cast!

For discussion of the upcoming films based on The Hobbit and related material, as well as previous films based on Tolkien's work
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Voronwë the Faithful
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Hobbit cast!

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

This needs a new thread, since it is no longer speculation:

Peter Jackson and New Line Announce 'Hobbit' Casting
Warner Bros. just released the following press release, confirming Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and revealing a slew of other actors:

Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Rob Kazinsky, Aidan Turner, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Stephen Hunter, Mark Hadlow and Peter Hambleton have joined the ensemble cast of the The Hobbit, it was jointly announced today by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema; Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.; Steve Cooper, co-Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., and Peter Jackson.

Since The Hobbit films received a green light on October 15, pre-production has been in full swing. Set for release in December, 2012 and December, 2013, we can confirm that Martin Freeman (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Hot Fuzz) will play Bilbo Baggins, the hero of the story. Richard Armitage (UK TV's MI-5 and soon to appear in Captain America: The First Avenger) is set to play Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the Company of Dwarves which sets off to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a thieving dragon.

"Despite the various rumours and speculation surrounding this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us,” says Peter Jackson. “There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin. He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave - exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit.”

He adds “Richard is one of the most exciting and dynamic actors working on screen today and we know he is going to make an amazing Thorin Oakensheild. We cannot wait to start this adventure with him and feel very lucky that one of the most beloved characters in Middle-earth is in such good hands."

Rounding out the Company of Dwarves are Aidan Turner (TV's Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (TVs EastEnders) who play Kili and Fili, respectively. Jackson comments "Rob is an extremely talented young actor with a huge career in front of him, I'm thrilled that he has agreed to take on the role of Fili. Besides his talent as an actor, Rob is also a champion sword fighter; I'm looking forward to seeing the damage he can do to a horde of marauding Goblins!" He continues, "Adian is a wonderfully gifted young actor who hails from Ireland. I'm sure he will bring enormous heart and humor to the role of Kili."

The remaining dwarves will be played by Graham McTavish (Secretariat and TV's 24) as Dwalin; John Callen (TV's Power Rangers Jungle Fury) as Oin; Stephen Hunter (TV's All Saints) as Bombur; Mark Hadlow (King Kong) as Dori; and Peter Hambleton (TV's The Strip) as Gloin.

Jackson notes, "Graham is a terrific actor, with a great depth of experience, which I know he will bring to the role of "Dwalin. I have worked with Mark Hadlow on many projects; he is a fantastic actor. I am thrilled to be working with both of them on these movies. He adds, "I am also proud to announce the casting of New Zealand actors as Peter Hambleton, John Callen and Stephen Hunter. Fran and I know that they will bring great depth and talent to our Company of Dwarves."

The two The Hobbit films are being co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production, Warner Bros. Pictures handling domestic distribution and MGM distributing internationally. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham are producing the films, with Phillipa Boyens serving as co-producer and Ken Kamins as executive producer.

The Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed LOTR trilogy, also from the production team of Jackson, Walsh and Cunningham, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box office. In 2003, Return of the King swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the 11 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture -- the first-ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The trilogy's production was also unprecedented at the time.
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Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Um, what about Balin?
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Holbytla
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Post by Holbytla »

Yeah, unless I am counting wrong they list 8 dwarves.

And so it begins.

:pullhair:
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Dave_LF
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Post by Dave_LF »

Well then.
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Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

I think we have to assume that "Rounding out the Company of Dwarves" actually means "Rounding out the Company of Dwarves cast so far." There certainly is no way that Balin won't be in the films, and they have maintained all along that all thirteen dwarves will be present.
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Post by Elentári »

<Groan> why does everything have to be announced while I'm asleep??? :x

Wonderful to have Freeman confirmed... :happydance:

but Richard Armitage as Thorin????

I expected Thorin would be played by someone a little older... :neutral:


I hope we don't end up with another Stuart Townsend fiasco...
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Post by Elentári »

Voronwë_the_Faithful wrote:Um, what about Balin?
and the other dwarves, as Holby points out...

Well, we know there are strong rumours of James Nesbitt going to be Bofur...plus Bill Bailey, who could be the other comedian mentioned in the Reddit rumours so he might be Bifur!!

I always thought Nesbitt could make a good Master of Laketown, but I've seen Stephen Fry being mooted on the boards for that part...
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ToshoftheWuffingas
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Post by ToshoftheWuffingas »

Bill Bailey for the King of the Goblins!
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Post by Lalaith »

Di had these posted on FB with pictures. That was helpful to me because I don't know any of these actors! If I have time later, I may try to add the pictures in here. (Unless I'm the only one who doesn't know these actors. ??? :help: )
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Post by Frelga »

You are not the only one. I had to look up most of them. And when I got to Armitage... Oh yesss, precious, we wants it. :)
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Post by Primula Baggins »

Now now. I saw him first.

Link to AICN article with pictures (pictures are fine, site is tasteless and not for kids)

He does have that burly Viggo thing going on, doesn't he? If he's got a deep voice I'm done for.
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Post by Teremia »

You ladies go for the scraggly types, hm?

:)

That Martin Freeman fellow looks very convincingly Bilboish, to me.
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Post by Primula Baggins »

No, no, it's just such fun to clean them up.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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Frelga
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Post by Frelga »

Armitage cleans up nice.

That Aidan Turner guy isn't half bad either. :)
Let the other societies take the skilled, the hopefuls, the ambitious, the self-confident. He’d take the whining resentful ones, the ones with a bellyful of spite and bile, the ones who knew they could make it big if only they’d been given the chance. Give him the ones in which the floods of venom and vindictiveness were dammed up behind thin walls of ineptitude and lowgrade paranoia.

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Post by Elentári »

Image uh-uh, Turner's mine...I saw him way before you lot, in last year's DESPERATE ROMANTICS! ;)
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Post by ToshoftheWuffingas »

I think one of every dwarf pair in The Hobbit film should be played by a woman in a beard. I'm sure Holby can come up with some suggestions.
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Post by eborr »

Holbytla wrote:Yeah, unless I am counting wrong they list 8 dwarves.

And so it begins

:pullhair:
I thought there were only 7
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Post by Elentári »

Nifty photo-shopped efforts on TORn

Image

this one of Richard Armitage
Image

Question is, with the younger actors, do we think they will still go for this look or do something radical??
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Post by Padme »

Teremia wrote:You ladies go for the scraggly types, hm?

:)

That Martin Freeman fellow looks very convincingly Bilboish, to me.

Agreed about Martin,



And some of us like scraggly types...as long as they are taller...I much perfer Gondorians or men of the Rohirrim
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Post by Elentári »

UPDATE! Sylvester McCoy cast but not yet signed as Radagast the Brown

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10682629
Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy, famous for his role as sci-fi's Dr Who in the 1980s, was this weekend cast as wizard Radagast the Brown in the film.

Speaking at the Armageddon Expo in Auckland yesterday, McCoy said he - like all of New Zealand - was still waiting to hear where and when filming would go ahead.

His London agent had even set up a Google alert to find out information about the project.

McCoy said he flew to Wellington on Thursday for meetings with Jackson and co-producer and co-writer Philippa Boyens about The Hobbit. "They are wishing they can just get on with it," he said.

Despite being cast, McCoy has not yet signed a contract.
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