PETER JACKSON ANNOUNCES LATEST ADDITION TO THE HOBBIT CAST James Nesbitt Confirmed to Play Major Role in The Hobbit. (LOS ANGELES November 1, 2010) –One of Britain’s most beloved actors, James Nesbitt (Millions and TV’s Cold Feet), is the latest actor to join the ensemble cast of The Hobbit, it was jointly announced today by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema; Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.; and Steve Cooper, co-Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Nesbitt will play Bofur, a disarmingly forthright, funny and occasionally brave Dwarf. “James’s charm, warmth and wit are legendary as is his range as an actor in both comedic and dramatic roles. We feel very lucky to be able to welcome him as one of our cast.” said director Peter Jackson.
Newcomer, Adam Brown will play Ori, another of the Dwarf Company which sets out to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the infamous dragon, Smaug. Jackson comments, “Adam is a wonderfully expressive actor and has a unique screen presence. I look forward to seeing him bring Ori to life”.
Nesbitt and Brown will join the cast announced on October 21, which includes Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage (soon to appear in Captain America: The First Avenger), Aidan Turner (TV’s Being Human), Rob Kazinsky (TVs EastEnders), Graham McTavish (Secretariat), John Callen (TV’s Power Rangers Jungle Fury), Stephen Hunter (TV’s All Saints), Mark Hadlow (King Kong) and Peter Hambleton (TV’s The Strip).
Since The Hobbit films received a green light on October 15, pre-production has been in full swing with release dates set for December, 2012 and December, 2013. The two The Hobbit films are being co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production, Warner Bros Pictures handling domestic distribution and MGM distributing internationally.
Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham are producing the films, with co-writer Philippa Boyens serving as co-producer and Ken Kamins as executive producer. The Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed LOTR trilogy, also from the production team of Jackson, Walsh and Cunningham, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box office. In 2003, “Return of the King” swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the 11 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture – the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time. Continue reading “BREAKING NEWS: James Nesbitt is Bofur & Adam Brown is Ori!”
Posted in:
Share:
He’s a Tolkien fan with a talent for comedy – so what better Hobbit role could there be for Stephen Hunter than food-loving, clumsy and loveable Bombur? I recently had the good fortune of catching a few minutes of Stephen’s time to ask him about his first reactions to being cast in a major role in the upcoming, two-film adaptation of “The Hobbit.”
“The Hobbit is my first job in fantasy – in fact this is my first big-budget film,” he says. “In most of the TV commercials I’ve done I’ve been the comedic relief. I’m only assuming that with Bombur there may be some comedy. Being cast in The Hobbit is really exciting and really an honour. I auditioned for the original Lord of the Rings way back when I signed with my agent in New Zealand. When I saw the films I thought, ‘Man, I so want to do The Hobbit’. “I’m just going to throw everything I’ve got into it. If I don’t come out the other end absolutely exhausted then I haven’t done my job.”
Continue reading “TORn Exclusive: an interview with Stephen Hunter/Bombur”
Posted in:
Share:
From broadwayworld.com: Today, we present a particularly thrilling taste of the forthcoming InDepth InterView in this BWW WORLD EXCLUSIVE with one of the finest actors of stage and screen – and, now, thanks to the Scissor Sisters NIGHT WORK album, recording studio – the foremost Shakespearean interpreter of our age and star of two of the biggest film franchises of all time – LORD OF THE RINGS and X MEN – Sir Ian McKellen! In this portion of the complete discussion, we discuss his second year hosting the ONLY MAKE BELIEVE gala to benefit hospitalized children, as well as discuss how he became involved with the Deana Hammerstein-founded charity. We also discuss his participation in Peter Jackson’s forthcoming LORD OF THE RINGS prequel THE HOBBIT and his cameo in the epic music video for his Sister Sisters collaboration “Invisible Light” – plus thoughts on Shakespeare, stage, screen and monster movies (and not just GODS & MONSTERS). All god, no monster, Ian McKellen is as renowned and respected as it gets. And rightfully so. More..
Posted in:
Share:
It’s been a long time coming, but there was finally cause for rejoicing in Middle-earth last week when director Peter Jackson announced he’d cast several key roles in his adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy novel, The Hobbit. The casting of Martin Freeman of the UK Office fame as Bilbo Baggins was widely expected, but some Tolkien fans were surprised and slightly befuddled to see English actor Richard Armitage, best known for the BBC series MI-5, cast as Thorin Oakenshield, the gruff leader of a company of dwarves. What was Jackson doing hiring a hunky actor to play a character most often depicted in illustrations — and in the 1977 animated Hobbit movie — as a squat, crabby, Wilford Brimley-ish old dwarf with a long white beard? In an interview (after the jump), Jackson tells EW the choice is actually right in line with the casting of Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn and Orlando Bloom as Legolas in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. More..
Posted in:
Share:
For all those who’ve been concerned about the fact that there hasn’t been any casting news about returning cast members yet, here’s something that should ease the mind a bit.
Sky News caught up with Andy Serkis and chatted him up about all things “Hobbit“, and here’s what the man has to say about filming in New Zealand and reprising his role as Gollum.
“I’m sure The Hobbit will be in New Zealand at the end of the day. These are stories that have to be told, films that have to be watched. People are dying for them to come out. It has had a strange ride. I think the worse of it is over and it’s all going to come together soon.”
“I haven’t signed up. Of course I will be there. I will be there to support Peter Jackson in his endeavour again to pull off what will be an amazing magical feat of cinema, wherever that will be.”
There’s more to read and watch over at Sky News.
Posted in:
Share:
What does a Dwarf love doing most in Middle-earth besides mining for gold and jewels and spending countless hours working them into gems and treasures beyond price? How about avenging their forefathers and marching to battle against armies of Orcs?
In the Lord of the Rings, Gimli said,
“Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me!“
So do all Dwarves feel the same? That can be discussed in our message boards.
In the meantime, thanks to Twitter, we know that Fili at least is keen to wield his axe when he sets out next year with his companions on the Quest of Erebor. Here’s what Rob Kazinsky tweeted after the announcement last week that he had been cast in the role of Fili:
“thank you all for your support and well wishing, looking forward to some orc slaying!“
Sure looks like Sir Peter Jackson has found a Dwarf with the perfect Dwarven attitude.
Posted in:
Share:
Since The Hobbit films received a green light on October 15, pre-production has been in full swing with release dates set for December, 2012 and December, 2013. The two The Hobbit films are being co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production, Warner Bros Pictures handling domestic distribution and MGM distributing internationally. 