While there’s previously been talk about the likes of Ian McKellen (now confirmed) and Hugo Weaving (still pending) returning to Middle Earth for The Hobbit, there’s been a cruious silence about Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, even if many expected she might be back. However now Peter Jackson has announced that she will indeed return as the Lady Of Lothlorien in the two-part Lord Of The Rings prequel.
She’s not the only one announced, as Ken Stott, Sylvester McCoy, Mikael Persbrandt, Ryan Gage, Jed Brophy and William Kircher will join her. McCoy’s name isn’t a surprise as he’s been telling anyone who’ll listen that he’s been in contention for months. But while he was previously beaten out by Ian Holm to play Bilbo in Lord Of The Rings, in The Hobbit he’ll be the wizard Radagast the Brown.
Stott meanwhile will play Dwarf Lord Balin, while well-known Swedish actor, Mikael Persbrandt (Everlasting Moments) will play the shape-shifter Beorn. British actor Ryan Gage (Outlaw, TV’s Doctors) will play Drogo Baggins, with New Zealand actors Jed Brophy (Lord of the Rings, District 9) playing the role of the dwarf Nori, and William Kircher (Out of the Blue) rounding out the company of Thorin Oakensheild in role of the dwarf Bifur.
Peter Jackson welcomed the news of Cate Blanchett’s return to Middle-earth, “Cate is one of my favorite actors to work with and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her reprise the role she so beautifully brought to life in the earlier films.”
It’s turning into quite a cast, with Martin Freeman in the lead role, alongside the likes of James Nesbitt, Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner and Mark Hadlow. Production is expected to start in the spring, with the first of the two movie due at the end of 2012. (Source: Deadline)