With the labour dispute resolved (although not the question of whether it will shoot in New Zealand), the producers of The Hobbit movies have wasted no time in announcing the first cast members. As rumoured for many months now, Martin Freeman has been confirmed to play Bilbo Baggins.
While his involvement had been slightly up in the air due to his commitment to shoot a second series of Sherlock, it seems Peter Jackson and co. were prepared to move heaven and earth to get him, saying “Despite the various rumours and speculation surrounding this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us 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.”
Freeman isn’t the only cast member announced, with Deadline confirming that ‘Richard Armitage (MI-5 and Captain America: The First Avenger) will play Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the Company of Dwarves which sets off to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a thieving dragon. Aidan Turner (Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (EastEnders) will play Kili and Fili, members of the Company of Dwarves. Graham McTavish (Secretariat) will play Dwalin, John Callen (Power Rangers Jungle Fury) will play Oin; Stephen Hunter (All Saints) will play Bombur, and Mark Hadlow (King Kong) plays Dori, while Peter Hambleton (The Strip) will play Gloin.
There are still plenty more roles to be announced, and there’s no mention yet of Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis, although they’re widely expected to return as Gandalf and Gollum respectively. Deadline repeats the rumour that James Nesbitt and David Tennant are still up for roles in the film, while Stephen Fry, Saoirse Ronan and Bill Nighy (as the voice of the dragon Smaug) may also be in the movie.
As for where the movies will shoot, it’s still completely up in the air. While most talk had been of taking the production from New Zealand to Eastern Europe, when interviewed by Radio NZ, producer Fran Walsh seemed to think Leavesden Studio in the UK is a strong possibility, as Warner Bros has, “a huge studio that Harry Potter have vacated that they own and they say would be perfect for us.” That would certainly make sense, especially as Warner has already announced plans to partly turn it into a HP themed tourist attraction, and if they can add a bit of Middle Earth in, that would make it all the more profitable. The New Zealand government meanwhile has said they’ll fight tooth and nail to keep the movie in the country. Warner/MGM is expected to visit NZ next week to make a final decision.