The Hobbit Casting Call Reveals Character and Plot Details ... or Not
Posted 01.07.10 by BrentJS
Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Andy Serkis (Gollum), and Hugo Weaving (Elrond) are confirmed to reprise their LOTR roles in The Hobbit, the prequel to The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), but the lead role of Bilbo Baggins has yet to be cast. Based on a statement from producer Peter Jackson less than a month ago, the part would likely go to an unknown or lesser-known actor found in a "casting sweep," rather than to a "name" actor.
A recent open casting call list posted by SpoilerTV seemed to indicate that Jackson planned on making good on his comments about casting unknowns in major roles, as the list includes the title character, Bilbo Baggins, as well as a collection of humans, elves, dwarves, a wizard, and even the dragon Smaug, which is listed as a voiceover role.
However, shortly after the list was posted, our friends at TheOneRing did some
follow up on the news with their undisclosed sources and it appears that the list may be bogus or simply no longer pertinent to the production.
After touching base with more of our contacts, we’ve been notified that this is not a valid list of lead roles and, in fact, some of the roles listed in the links are not relevant.
While casting an unknown in such an expensive production may seem like a risky proposition — especially in light of how cash-strapped MGM is right now — Jackson pointed out that the LOTR trilogy was not "star-driven." He went on to say that the true "star" is the late J.R.R. Tolkien, the creator of the LOTR universe.
A recent Tweet from Production Weekly declared that The Hobbit would begin its
14-month production
this June in New Zealand. Like the LOTR movies, The Hobbit films — one film split into two parts, a la Kill Bill — are being filmed concurrently.