The Hobbit Officially Announced
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New Line has officially announced The Hobbit, an adaptation of the novel from J.R.R. Tolkien, which will be split into two movies. Getting the project off the ground has taken quite a while as it has faced several speed bumps along the way. Peter Jackson is set to direct.
Martin Freeman will star as Bilbo Baggins. That casting had been rumored for months as he stood out as a perfect fit. Richard Armitage takes on the role of Thorin Oakenshield, Aidan Turner will play Kili and Rob Kazinsky as Fili. Other dwarves include Graham McTavish as Dwalin, John Callen as Oin, Stephen Hunter as Bombur, Mark Hadlow as Dori, and Peter Hambleton as Gloin.
That is quite a list of names attached to the film to be revealed at one time. More casting news will be coming soon as well with several other roles remaining vacant. Ian McKellan is expected to reprise his role as Gandalf and Andy Serkis as Gollum from the Lord of the Rings films.