Cast the First Hobbit

[doug*platypus]

In a hole in the ground there lived... Warwick Davis? Billy Boyd? Ian Holm?! DOUG PLATYPUS ?!

Cast The Hobbit movie, any characters or voices you wish. Will Smaug be digital, or can Margaret Thatcher be exhumed? Will Orlando make a cameo appearance, dancing at a feast with the lucky winner of a Barrow Downs contest? Or maybe you want to make it an anime?

[Alatariel]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Or maybe you want to make it an anime? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Please, no - not another cartoon <I> Hobbit</I>!! The first one is bad enough! I would vote for keeping Ian Holm as Bilbo - for continuity's sake, since scenes from <I>The Hobbit</I> were in the opening sequence of FoTR with Holm finding the ring in Gollum's lair.

[Samwise]

I agree, Miss Lynn. Definitely Ian Holm for Bilbo. Smaug...hm. Could be digital...a guy in a suit and blue screen, like Gollum?

[Gorwingel]

I am sorry but I just don't think (even though I love him) that Ian Holm should be Bilbo. Not that I think he wouldn't do a wonderful job, but it is just at this time I think he is a little too old for the charater. I kinda think they should find an unknown to play Bilbo. But I don't know, it is kind of a hard charater to cast.<P>We all know that Ian McKellen must play Gandalf, because of course he is Gandalf! There could be no other Gandalf, and of course for that role it really doesn't matter how old you are.

[Imladris]

John Schnieder would make a good Bilbo. I don't really think that Ian Holm could make a convincing Bilbo: he's too old and I didn't really care for him in FotR.

[the real findorfin]

I think the actor you plays Lucius Malfoy would be a good Thranduil because in the hobbit the Elven King seems rather harsh, but perhaps he's not a good idea because the character does mellow when he meets Bilbo.<P>I wonder how they would make the elves fit with lotr but still keep the same storyline because they are a bit fairy-like in the hobbit?<P>And wargs, thats a whole new problem. After their apperance in TTT, they can't take on the role they have in the Hobbit. Perhaps their characters/voices could be switched to their riders? And flaming pine cones?????

[Lindir]

Andy Serkis could probably do the voice of Smaug, because he did do some voices for 3 Orcs at the nightcamp in the 2 Towers. So maybe he could lower his voice a little bit, for Smaug.

[The Saucepan Man]

Here are some thoughts on casting for <I>The Hobbit</I> that I posted on another thread:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Believe me, I would have loved to see Ian Holm play the part. I will always identify him with Bilbo. He has taken the role a number of times, most notably (I think) in the BBC audio version. But he is in his seventies now. And given that Bilbo was 50 years old (the equivalent of 30 in human terms) when he set out with Thorin and company, I just cannot see it working. As for continuity, I am sure that there must be a younger actor with a physical resemblance who could play the role credibly. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Mind you, there might be problems in getting actors signed up, given the suffering that John Rhys-Davies went through with the make-up. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> As for the voice of Smaug, look no further than Alan Rickman (Snipe in Harry Potter for those who don't know him) or Jeremy Irons (the bad lion in the Lion King). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Tar-Alcarin]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> the actor you plays Lucius Malfoy would be a good Thranduil <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>he is way to young. Thranduil is like 6000 years old, his son is like 2000. Elrond who is ;ike 8000 looks middle aged, Legolas, who islike 2000, looks like 20 so Thranduil couldnt possibly look younger than his son.

[Silmiel of Imladris]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I think the actor you plays Lucius Malfoy would be a good Thranduil because in the hobbit the Elven King seems rather harsh, but perhaps he's not a good idea because the character does mellow when he meets Bilbo. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Jason Isaacs is a litte toooooo mean. I really wanted strangle him in 'The Patriot'. Jason Isaacs would make a good Thingol or Feanor if they made the Sil into a movie. <P>Jason Isaacs is not too old for the part for he is 40 years old and Orlando is 26. Hugo Weaving is about 42 or 43 so Elrond is not very old either. Besides Elves are immortal so they are supposed to look young they just look older than their kids for the movie's sake. If I come up with a good idea for Thranduil I will let you know. <P>I really want Legolas to make a cameo or better yet let him be the one that brings Biblo's company before the King. Click on my Art Work link and find the Legolas cartoon to see my idea on this. <p>[ 8:43 PM December 16, 2003: Message edited by: Silmiel of Imladris ]

[Sleeping Beauty]

I don't think they should stray too far from some of the casting for the Hobbit if they want to keep the movie looking similar to the Lord of the Rings series. I would be satisfied if Ian Holm did play Bilbo, but I think maybe they should probably look younger. Heh, it would be funny if Elijah played Bilbo, kind of irony since Ian Holm played Frodo in the BBC Radio series. Ian Mckellan should play Gandalf, there's no doubt in that one, and it would be amusing for John-Rhys Davies to play Gloin. Poor guy can't get away from playing a dwarf. <P>Andy Serkis just for laughs should play one of the elves in the trees singing when the group arrives in Rivendell. I could see him doing that with all the god-given energy's he got. For Smaug, I think Sean Connery would make an excellent voice. I can't wait to see a digital Smaug on top of a large mound of treasure. Hm...I wonder if they'd give away that prop...I would like to lay on a bed of treasure.... It would be cute for Legolas to make a cameo. I mean, they end up right in Mirkwood, why not? Maybe as the sleeping elf who has the keys. Who would be the dale, I wonder. Does Viggo have a younger brother?

[Samwise]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>I will always identify him with Bilbo. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I will too.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

This is not just a girl's opinion but they need good-looking characters for some main roles. Well, I don't mean that movies without some gorgeous guy/gal couldn't be touching and excellent films but they don't draw so much audience. For example: why do thousands of teenyboppers go to watch LotR?!? *coughOrlando&Elijah&Viggocough*
And unfortunately film makers do care a lot about ticket sales. So they should (IMHO) cast some handsome (but not too well-known) guy for Bilbo.

Andy Serkis just for laughs should play one of the elves in the trees singing when the group arrives in Rivendell.

Oh, I'd love to see that It would be nice if he could do the voice of Smaug too.

[Essex]

What I would LOVE to see in the Hobbit would be Sir Ian, Kate Blanchett, Christopher Lee and the rest of the White Council discussing the rising of Sauron. We would see Saruman arguing against attacking Sauron at Dol Guldur, and the Dark Lord making his escape from his woodland fortress.

I know, it'll never happen.......but it will explain the reasons why we keep seing Gandalf bogging off and leaving the dwarves in trouble all the time.....

My first reading of the Hobbit was at school and all I remember from that time is everyone moaning about were the hell Gandalf kept (expletive) off to!!! I don't think this would work on film without a proper explanation.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Yes! The White Council...it would be awesome. I have already pictured the main parts of the movie in my head
First the New Line Cinema logo appears...
Then we see Bilbo and - oh, wait - should we start from Bree when Thorin meets Gandalf?!
Does anyone even have a clue if PJ is really doing the Hobbit? *sigh*
I think they should keep as many same characters from LotR as possible.

[Sleepy Ranger]

We could have a younger Aragorn at Imladris.
Tom Cruise for Bilbo.
Barliman Butterbur if we have the meeting in Bree.

[Theron Bugtussle]

Originally posted by Imladris
John Schnieder would make a good Bilbo.

Isn't John Schnieder the tall, blond dude from The Dukes of Hazzard TV show from the '70's?

Ian Holm is too darn old to reprise his role as young Bilbo. LOL. (And this is from a guy who says Ian Holm was a better Frodo in the BBC radio production than Elijah Wood was in the Peter Jackson movies.)

Tom Cruise as Bilbo? Can you imagine Tom Cruise trying to sneak off from the unexpected party due to fear? Though he is short enough to play a hobbit....

[Imladris]

Yes, John Schneider is the guy from The Dukes of Hazard , though I have personally never seen it. I know him from Smallville.

And Tom Cruise would not make a good hobbit at all, much less a good Bilbo. He has that cocky arrogant look just stamped on his face. I've never seen him without it...

[Iaurhirwen]

I do agree, though Ian Holm did a outstanding job as Bilbo and that is whom I will always think about when refering to Bilbo in any way, his is simply to old to reprise his role in The Hobbit. I believe that a not well known actor would be best for Bilbo, you know the whole idea of an unlikely hero = unlikely main star.

For the voice of Smaug, I am for Alan Rickman all the way. He has this great voice that will just send shivers down your spine. You couldn't have asked for a better Snape in Harry Potter, he's my favorite character (oh, wait, wrong forum ) But anyway, in my mind his voice just seems perfect for the role.

To draw in the teenybopper crowds, Legolas should probably make a cameo. I know a number of people (not only girls ) who would go to a movie simply because Orlando Bloom is in it But he would be funny.

The white council is deffinately needed for the movie so people don't get to confused as to where the !@#$$%^&* Gandalf is. (I like random symbols) Just for the sake of not confusing those poor, poor souls who have never read books and doesn't have a clue what's going on, some back stories do need to be expounded upon.

A cameo by Andy Serkis is a must! I am also in favor of continuity with all of the elves that we have seen in LOTR simply so those poor soals are not even more confused!

As for the other major roles, I have to think about it, especially the dwarves. Need to find some good dwarves.

[Ellwyn]

If Ian Holm is too young, how did he do the 'finding' scene in Gollum's cave in FOTR?

EDIT: That sounds like I'm an idiot who doesn't know how old Ian Holm is... what I mean is if he looked convincing there, couldn't he do it again?

[Theron Bugtussle]

That was a "flashback" scene that lasted...a few seconds, if I recall accurately. And it wasn't very convincing to me, at any rate.

No way it would work for a three hour movie, or four hour Extended Edition.

[Evisse the Blue]

This is not just a girl's opinion but they need good-looking characters for some main roles.

That worked fine in LOTR alright but here the main characters are dwarves and a hobbit who's placed in situations that are funny sometimes bordering on ridiculous, and he's treated way more unceremoniusly than any LOTR character. (Tom Cruise - ack! the horror of it To see him grabbed by a furry foot by the trolls would give me nightmares. Never will an actor who has a sex symbol status or whatever be able to handle these situations properly). Maybe there is still hope for Ian Holm. I for one would love to see him back playing Bilbo.
Alan Rickman as the voice of Smaug earns a thumbs up from me. Andy Serkis's cameo will be compulsory I guess, and John Rhys-Davies sure is the favourite to play a dwarf (only because I cannot think of another actor to play a dwarf!)
Anyway, I'm curious how PJ will think up this movie: will he try and make an epic out of it? Highly unlikely. Still, major changes are going to be made. I hope that they keep at least some of the witty dialogue; it would be a shame not to.

[Kransha]

Too many dwarves to cast...ooh.

Bilbo: Ian Holm really worked well as Bilbo, despite his age, and I can't really think of many other hobbity people who could play the part so aptly as he.

Smaug (voice): That's gonna be either Alan Rickman or Jeremy Irons (I would suggest Tim Curry, but he has an irripressible accent that a dragon couldn't really work with very well).

Gollum: Riddles in the Dark cameo by Andy Serkis, obviously.

Thranduil: Actually, Jason Isaacs does seem to fit that part at least slightly. He can be very diverse, not just extremely mean. Perhaps Ian McDarmiad, but he's probably too old.

Bard: Also hard, perhaps Dennis Quaid (no idea why, but he might fit into that part)

Dwarves: Now that's the ultimate question, ain't it? Who could play such a dwarf. I don't know about Thorin, but Robbie Coltrane could probably do a good dwarf if necessary.

[Finwe]

Please! No Dennis Quaid!

I'm of the fervent opinion that Gerard Butler (Attila in Attila the Hun, Andre in Timeline, and Terry Sheridan in Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life) would make a much better Bard. He's got that brooding, mysterious look about him, when he has long hair and a beard (just check him out in Timeline!) and he's a damn good actor.

[Kransha]

Too bad Timeline was bad..but that's off topic. (he was a good actor, though, I agree about that much).

On Topic: Yes, suggesting Dennis Quaid may have been a little much, but for a split second (unfortunately while I was posting) I thought of him. Who else could work as a Bard personality.

Well, you can just think of recent movies...though there aren't a lot of workable ones in this situation.

Uhhhh...Let's see. He has to have declamation, physical prowess, right age, etc...Oh, I just can't think!

About my earlier proposal. I suggested Robbi Coltrane for one of the dwarves. I stand by that, but I can't decide which dwarf he would be!

[Sleepy Ranger]

Leonardo DiCaprio for Tharanduil.
He looks like Orlando...I think.
And hes older.....I think.

[Kidd2323]

Who would play Beorn?
Robbie Coltrane would make a very good Beorn, no?
Maybe evem John-Rhyes?

[Imladris]

You know who would make a good Bilbo would be Brian McCardie. He has a lovely Scottish accent and he looks like a hobbit.

[The Saucepan Man]

Hobbits are not Scottish.

[Imladris]

I never said they were. However, Billy Boyd is Scottish and it worked for him. Leastways, I think so.

[Finwe]

Definitely not Leonardo DiCaprio for Thranduil! The Elvenking is supposed to be haughty and majestic. Leo isn't exactly haughty and majestic. I think Jason Isaacs would be perfect for that role, if he cleaned up a bit, and they got him a good wig. He'd probably look good in a blond wig that's a few shades more golden than the one he sported for Lucius Malfoy.

[Mister Underhill]

I could see Philip Seymour Hoffman as Bombur.

Jason Lee with his look from "Almost Famous" strikes me as a potential Balin.

Jeremy Irons would certainly do a good voice-of-Smaug, but I think he could potentially make an excellent Thorin as well.

Geoffrey Rush is a superb actor and has just the right amount of ridiculousness to play Bilbo, though I reckon they'll probably want someone younger and handsomer. If not Bilbo, he could definitely be a dwarf, perhaps Dori.

Rupert Boneham is an amateur, sure, but he seems to have been born to play Beorn.

[Evisse the Blue]

Rupert Boneham is an amateur, sure, but he seems to have been born to play Beorn.

After seeing his photo, I can only agree!
But Jeremy Irons as Thorin! We must have completely different mental images of Thorin. I'd go for a less skinny, more imposing type.

[Iaurhirwen]

Rupert!!!!!

He was my favorite character of Survivors and is IMHO a perfect pick for Beorn, he has this ability to be nice and yet when he is mad . . . . not that Beorn got mad, but he wasn't all jovial and such. My only concern is, with virtually no acting experience what-so-ever, he might not be able to handle all of the things that go along with a film of this size, especially the vocal aspects.

Of course here I go on and on and the role hasn't even been cast yet I truly cannot wait until we know.

Btw . . does anybody know if/when the movie is made (I'm not sure on the progress of that) who will be doing the casting? Because if it's the same people who did LOTR, we have a pretty good chance of getting the appropriate people, whoever they may be.

Originally posted by Kidd2323
Who would play Beorn?
Robbie Coltrane would make a very good Beorn, no?
Maybe evem John-Rhyes?

Had a similar thread on another site and someone came up with a good casting choice for Beorn ........ Brian Blessed. I think he would be ideal.

[ainur]

At the press conference following the Oscars, Peter Jackson said that New Line has the rights to make a film of "The Hobbit," but that MGM holds the distribution rights. He also said that their respective lawyers are negotiating and that he would definitely be interested in directing, if they can get it worked out. He wants to keep it within the same look and mythology, consistent with LotR, so it would probably start with the same casting from LotR (Ian Holm as Bilbo, Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Andy Serkis as Gollum, etc.) and go from there (if possible). This would also, in my opinion, result in a film that has a darker tone and more adult approach than "The Hobbit" book, which was intended as a children's story. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though, as long as the story is essentially the same.

As for casting, I would like to see the story "opened up" to include the White Council, as it would explain Gandalf's frequent departures, and set up the Necromancer as Sauron. That would then include Cate Blanchett and Christopher Lee reprising their roles. Should we see Orlando Bloom in Mirkwood? Briefly, I think, yes. Might Aragorn and Arwen have been at Imladris when the dwarves came trooping through?--there's a couple more cameos.

As for the other major characters: The dwarves would all be in heavy make-up, so their look would matter less than their personality on camera. It should probably be a mix of well-known actors and up-and-coming young stars. The keys here are Thorin (for obvious reasons), Balin (more because of his mention in LotR in Moria) Gloin (to tie Gimli into the story some way) Bombur (mostly for comic relief) and Fili and Kili (young heart-throbs under the make-up.) So:

Thorin: For some reason, Michael Douglas comes to mind, maybe because of the haughty conceit he displays while still maintaining some appeal.

Balin: Warm and courteous, yet still a dwarf--difficult to pull off. I see Patrick Stewart.

Gloin: John Rhys-Davies would not be out of line here, especially since Gimli doesn't make an appearance in this story.

Bombur: Jack Black? maybe.

Fili and Kili: Who knows. "King Kong" will take two years to complete, and that's longer than the average half-life of a young heart-throb's career. It could be anyone by then.

Thranduil: Why not Sean Connery? (if New Line can deal with his publicist--his face must always be the largest image on the poster, etc.)

Beorn: No ideas right now. I'll edit this if I think of someone.

Bard: Definitely the leading man type. Matthew McConaughey comes to mind, but it kind of depends on where you want to go with the character.

"Bard's leading lady": I know there's no such character in the book, but to make the movie commercial, you gotta have one. This would depend a lot on finding someone who has chemistry with whomever is cast as Bard.

[Thorongil]

If Ian Holm is too old to play Bilbo in The Hobbit, shouldn't he be too old for LOTR too? I mean, after he got the ring, he looked like he hadn't aged a day, right?

[dragoneyes]

after he got the ring, he looked like he hadn't aged a day, right?

Well, that can be debated, I personally think Gandalf had a memory lapse; Bilbo's hair had gone grey for goodness' sake!

[Thorongil]

Well, did the whole Shire have a memory lapse then? I don't have a quote right now, but it says in the book that people started to notice that he didn't seem to get older after he returned from the quest.

The more Jeremy Irons gets mentioned, the more I see him as Thranduil.