Middle-earth Journeys

Posted: **Wed Jun 30, 2010 4:47 pm**

I completely agree with you hope, seeing it all realised on screen only adds to our enjoyment and appreciation!

And it's lovely to see you here again

.

Posted: **Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:02 pm**

Well thank you Merry and Iolanthe

I have'nt really been away....just not posted but have read plenty

Posted: **Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:07 pm**

Ah!!! Well then.... it's lovely to have you posting again

.

Posted: **Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:07 pm**

MSN is reporting that Martin Freeman has been signed to play Bilbo. Think it's true?

Posted: **Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:18 pm**

There seems to be info about this online......what does everyone think of this?? I admit to being a bit thick

I've never really heard of him though I don't have a lot of time for TV or films now

Posted: **Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:25 am**

This rumour has been floating for quite some time but I don't think any of the casting has been officially confirmed at this point in time. Things still seem to be in a "hurry up and wait" mode for this film.

Posted: **Fri Sep 10, 2010 12:29 pm**

I've seen Martin Freeman in a few things - I think he would make a good hobbit. Not sure if he's old enough for Bilbo, though!

Posted: **Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:52 pm**

Oh, Yay! YAY! I HOPE this is true! Martin Freeman has been my number 1 choice to play the younger Bilbo from the very beginning. Remember, marbretherese, the Bilbo of The Hobbit is a good deal younger than the Bilbo of LOTR. Martin Freeman LOOKS like a young Ian Holm, he has just the right combination of nimble wit and fussy cantakerousness for the character, and he excels in portraying people suddenly placed in the position of being a "fish out of water" but finding the wherewithal inside themselves to preserve their sense of self, emerge victorious, and grow in the process. Sounds very much like Bilbo, doesn't it?

Hope, a terrific film to watch showcasing Martin Freeman's talents is "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." He plays a very Bilbo-like character and is completely endearing.

Posted: **Tue Sep 14, 2010 2:37 pm**

The rumours circulating at the moment are that Freeman turned down the Hobbit because the delays have caused clashes with filming the second series of 'Sherlock' (he's a very good Dr. Watson, by the way), but that Jackson and MGM are trying to reschedule around it. This was reported by the Sun newspaper and taken up by Entertainment Weekly. I'd take it all with a big pinch of salt - there's been no official word at all that Freeman has even been approached, unless they got it all from the horse's mouth. I do wish it was true, though. Not just the news about Freeman, but the fact they are now looking at schedules.

Posted: **Tue Sep 14, 2010 5:15 pm**

I just read at MSN that Ian McK says that filming will begin in January! Not sure about the sources, though.

Posted: **Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:53 pm**

There are rumours flying everywhere now. Maybe there is something behind it after all

.

Posted: **Wed Oct 20, 2010 11:29 pm**

Wow! I just read the front page at TOR.n and everybody in New Zealand seems really angry. Think the movie will get done there?

Posted: **Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:36 pm**

I just took a look myself and it seems as though it's only just occurred to the folk in NZ that if Warner Brothers decide not to film The Hobbit there, then it's quite likely that the NZ film industry will simply disappear because nobody will want to film anything else there either. Even the PM has become involved. It would be a tragedy for NZ. Although the alternative - filming The Hobbit in Ireland - is an intriguing idea for those of us within travelling distance . . . it wouldn't be the same though. NZ is Middle Earth.

Here's a link to a short piece in the Telegraph. It's flagged up on their front page as "Hobbit may be filmed in UK" because it's Northern Ireland they're talking about!

Posted: **Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:28 am**

Peter Jackson and New Line Announce 'Hobbit' Casting October 21

Martin Freeman is set to star as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's two-movie adaptation of The Hobbit.

New Line confirmed the Freeman news, rumored for months, and also took steps to clear up other casting rumors by announcing a slew of other names, many of whom will play key roles of as part of the Company of Dwarves.

Richard Armitage, who stars on the U.K. series MI-5 and will appear in Captain America: The First Avenger, is set to play Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the Company of Dwarves, who set off to reclaim the lost dwarven kingdom under the Lonely Mountain from Smaug, a thieving dragon.

Aidan Turner (Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (EastEnders) will play Kili and Fili, respectively.

The remaining dwarves will be Graham McTavish (Secretariat, 24) as Dwalin, John Callen as Oin, Stephen Hunter as Bombur, Mark Hadlow as Dori and Peter Hambleton as Gloin.

Other key parts that soon to be cast include a host of human and elf roles -- including Elrond the sage, Beorn and Bard the Bowman -- as well as the voice of the dragon.

Expected to return from the Lord of the Rings films is Ian McKellan as Gandalf and Andy Serkis as Gollum.

The UTA and Creative Artists Management-repped Freeman is best known to U.S. audiences for his work in the U.K, version of The Office, Love Actually, Hot Fuzz and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He also plays John Watson in Sherlock, the BBC's Sherlock Holmes series that debuts stateside next week on PBS.

Posted: **Fri Oct 22, 2010 4:13 am**

I just looked up some pictures--yawzah! I hope they find a way to let those handsome faces show through all those dwarf prosthetics!

Balin?

Middle-earth Journeys

The Hobbit - The Movie: Speculation and Discussion