Many fans were hoping Ian Holm would be returning to Middle Earth in some capacity for The Hobbit; after famously playing its titular character Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy; and although director Peter Jackson has quelled rumours that it was his voiceover heard towards the end of the recently release on-set video blog (which can be seen below), he has also confirmed that Ian will be back and playing Bilbo once more.
After recently releasing an on-set video blog from New Zealand, The Hobbit director Peter Jackson (who is returning to Middle Earth after previously directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy) has quashed rumours that the voiceover at the end of the video came from Ian Holm (even though he “wasn’t sure” himself to begin with”), but also delighted many fans by confirming that “Ian will be returning as the older Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.”
It’s not known exactly how large a part Ian will play in the finished film, although it’s likely his involvement will be largely limited to the two sequences featuring Elijah Wood (who will return to the franchise as Bilbo’s nephew Frodo); which are said to bookend the new films; as Martin Freeman (The Office/The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) has been cast as the younger Bilbo (the titular hobbit), and it was in fact his voice that closed the recent released video blog.
Other returning actors include Cate Blanchett (as elf queen Galadriel), Orlando Bloom (as the elf Legolas), Andy Serkis (as Gollum), Christopher Lee (as the white wizard Saruman), and Ian McKellen (as Gandalf the Grey; seen as how The Hobbit is a prequel to the Rings trilogy), who will all be joining newcomers Saoirse Ronan (The Way Back), David Tennant (Docotr Who), Richard Armitage (Spooks), James Nesbitt (Cold Feet), and unfortunately not Eastenders’ Robert Kazinsky; as he has been forced to leave production due to personal reasons.
As with The Lord of the Rings, whilst The Hobbit is a singular story it will not be released as a singular film; but will instead be released as two pictures; with the first part due to be released in December 2012, and the concluding part making its theatrical release the following December (in 2013).
Matt Wheeldon.
Source: Peter Jackson.
