Is Martin Freeman going to play Bilbo Baggins? That’s the big question at the moment, with conflicting reports on how close he is to the role, but everyone agreeing he’s the absolute frontrunner. A couple of days ago, it was reported that Peter Jackson, Warner and MGM all wanted him for Bilbo, but he’d turned the role down due to his commitment to a second series of Sherlock, which he couldn’t get out of, however as the news came from The Sun, it was treated with a healthy dose of scepticism.
However now EW has come forward to back up the claim that Freeman is first choice, but they’re suggesting he may not be completely out of contention. They have an unnamed source who says Warner and New Line are currently trying to work out a schedule that will allow Freeman to do both The Hobbit and Sherlock, and that all the parties are trying to put a deal together.
The key in this is probably the BBC, who hold Freeman’s contract for Sherlock – Series 2. A lot may depend on how flexible they’re willing to be, especially because if Freeman does take the role of Bilbo, it’s a huge commitment, with shooting on the two-part adaptation expected to take a full year, leaving him little time for other things.