Peter Jackson's The Hobbit - Bilbo Baggins cast and McCoy cast too!!

[Llordllama]

From the terribly renamed SciFi Wire "Blastr"

Sylvester McCoy, who was edged out by Ian Holm for the role of Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, may get a chance to show us his furry feet after all. An inside source has confirmed that McCoy will play "the second biggest lead" in the upcoming Hobbit prequel opposite Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis.

Glen Ferris of screenrush bumped into McCoy at the theater last night, and though the actor apparently was mum about the rumor, Ferris did make it sound (if we're reading his report correctly) as if he was made aware DURING the outing that McKoy had been cast for a major role in The Hobbit. So who was that inside source? A friend of McCoy's who was also at the theater?

Ferris doesn't say. And McCoy's agent would only respond with an enigmatic "no comment." But since McCoy had been a close second to Peter Jackson's final choice of Bilbo, Ian Holm, Ferris believes that the former Time Lord will be given a second shot at the role, "perhaps as an older version of Baggins recounting the adventures of his early years."

What do you think are the chances of this happening? And if it did happen—would you like it?

Well I guess it could work. If he can face down the Gods of Ragggnarrrrrok, Smaug'll be easy!

[Rob McCow]

Ah well yes I found this rrrrrrrrrrring and I turned invisible! I remember Gandalf and his mighty arts! etc.

He would be really good at this actually.

[Rob McCow]

At last! Our Bilbo has been revealed! The BBC have announced that It's FREEMAN! (I spent thirty seconds wondering if Morgan Freeman could actually pull this off)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11604193

The Office actor Martin Freeman will play Bilbo Baggins in two-part Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit, director Peter Jackson has announced.

Great! Now I don't need to bother seeing it.

I thought Freeman was OK in Sherlock, but I've hated him in everything else I've seen him in. He's so naturally unsympathetic. I don't think we're supposed to like Doctor Watson in Sherlock, so that's fine.

But Bilbo is the loveliest character ever! He'll ruin it! Gah! [/over-reaction]

[Perry Vale]

Oh dear, not very inspiring. He was ok in HitchHikers, in fact he's 'ok' in most things, would have been nice to have aimed higher....

[Andrew Curnow]

Oh I'm glad it's not just me who thought that then - although the quotes from Jackson have him raving about Martin Freeman, I'm afraid I find he only has one performance, which he gives every time.

Mind you, I didn't like the LOTR films anyway so I'm not actually that bothered!

P.S. How are they going to turn The Hobbit, a fairly slim book compared to its sequels, into TWO films?!

[Jon Masters]

I trust Peter Jackson on this - how many people would have put John Rhys Davies as Gimli ? He'll be fine, as its not a light comedy.

P.S. How are they going to turn The Hobbit, a fairly slim book compared to its sequels, into TWO films?!

I believe

• we'll get all of the book, so including Beorn and other bits that would have been cut
• the battle of the Five Armies should take up a chunk, as in the book Bilbo is unconscious for most of it
• I think the idea is to put in the material that more closely links H to LOTR e.g. we get to see where Gandalf goes when he leaves them at Mirkwood.

Can't wait

[Dino]

So McCoy didn't get it then?...

And the big downside to Martin Freeman getting the lead role is if he becomes a megastar due to the film... ITV WILL REPEAT "HARDWARE"!!!
Yeah, you'd forgotten about that "sitcom" hadn't you?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Great - this is the one site I hoped to get away from this cursed film!!!

And it is turning out to be a cursed film. It's suffered a heck of a lot of delays, and right now there's uncertainty about which country it's even going to be filmed in.

Thanks to the efforts of an Australian actor's union the studio to undermine the film, the studio is currently revising it's plans to film it in New Zealand.

According to Gary Hunt ...

Yip, could be really bad! it will impact the whole future of filming in NZ and its hard enough as it is! probably find other companies to make props as they did with Narnia films etc

yeah its a pain in the butt! cheers for thinking of us!

Who is Gary Hunt? Well on the scheme of things, just a little person - one of the many behind the scenes artists and technicians at the Weta workshops who face an uncertain future if the work does move abroad.

You might well have seen some of his work in past movies though ...

http://www.garyhuntminiatures.com/garyhunt.html

[SiHart]

Well now, it turns out McCoy is going to be in it.... from the Doctor Who Newspage...

Sylvester McCoy has told fans he has been cast as Radagast the Brown in the upcoming film The Hobbit.

Rumours of the Seventh Doctor's involvement in the Peter Jackson film have been around for a while but this is the first conformation from the actor that he has been offered a role in the movie.

McCoy was speaking at the Armageddon Expo in Auckland yesterday, It is understood that McCoy had meetings in Wellington with Jackson and co-producer and co-writer Philippa Boyens last week, where he was offered the role, but that no contracts have yet been signed.

The Hobbit is slated for release in two parts, the first due in 2012. Production is currently delayed due to a dispute involving the New Zealand branch of Actors Equity.
(with thanks to HorizonChaser)

Bilbo, you must save the rrrrrrrrrrring!

Si xx