Hobbit cast!

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 7:14 am

Lali wrote: Hmmm. So did they ever recast Drogo?

Alas, I haven't heard that they did.

Perhaps he'll simply be a menacing shadow on the gunwale of the boat.

Post by **Elentári** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 8:26 am

Ah, now that is interesting! PJ definitely went down the Celtic route for his Dwarf actors (alongside the Kiwis)...and I recall touting Connolly's name myself several months ago in the Cast speculation thread, though not necessarily for Dain. But good choice!

Post by **Alatar** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 9:48 am

Actually I can really see that. Billy Connolly is a decent actor.

Post by **eborr** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:59 pm

Billy Connolly generaly appears as variations on Billy Connolly, which is no great hardship to me as I like him, however he has done more diverse roles, I gues the one that springs to mind is Queen Victoria ghillie and rumoured paramour of her later years.

I think it's a good choice, I have always imagined the Dwarfe kings as being over ther top

Post by **axordil** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 2:36 pm

Oh right, he was Mr. Brown in Mrs. Brown. That was a decent performance all-around, especially against Judi Dench.

Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:40 pm

Lalaith wrote:Hmmm. So did they ever recast Drogo?

Nope. Nor did they ever announce any casting from Primula. My guess is that they ended up eliminating that storyline. Or reducing it to the point that the roles were miniscule.

Post by **Lalaith** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:52 pm

Poor Prim and Drogo.

Well, I've deleted Drogo from the cast thread, and I've added Billy Connolly. Now that I recognize who he is, I like him!

Post by **Inanna** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 4:10 pm

Voronwë the Faithful wrote:Okay, Lali, one more for you (thank Eru!) Apparently Scottish comedian and actor Billy Connolly has been hired to play Dain!

Connolly to play Hobbit great dwarf

Seems like kind of an odd choice, but I guess he isn't just a comedian. His looks are actually pretty good. And at least they now have someone playing the part, eliminating the worry that it was going to be omitted. Good news that!

How old is Dain at the time of the Hobbit? I couldn't find that information, but Connolly looks really old.

Thu Feb 09, 2012 4:20 pm

Connolly is 69. In the book, Thorin is 21 years older than Dain, but then he is also considerably older than Balin. We already know that they have gone with a younger looking Thorin, but I think Dain will probably properly be about the same age as Balin. I'm not too concerned about the age difference with Thorin. I understand why they made him younger. The important thing to me is whether both Thorin and Dain are able to project the proper amount of kingly gravitas. I've already seen enough of Armitage as Thorin to be confident of that for him, and Connolly clearly has presence. I have a good feeling about this.*

* Despite the fact that the only time I had ever heard of Connolly before this was when my wonderful doctor sent me a link to youtube clip of Connolly doing a hilariously obscene stand-up routine about prepping for a colonoscopy just before I had my own.

Post by **Old_Tom_Bombadil** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 8:01 pm

Voronwë the Faithful wrote:Okay, Lali, one more for you (thank Eru!) Apparently Scottish comedian and actor Billy Connolly has been hired to play Dain!

I just saw this posted on TORN. This is the first casting that I've been genuinely excited about. (Not that I'm unhappy about the other actors who have been cast, just that this particular one excited me.)

Back in August of 2006 I made a post on TORC that Billy Connolly was my choice to play Tom Bombadil:

Old_Tom_Bombadil wrote:
RAY wrote:And perhaps having Brian Blessed portray Old Tom.They could have given Tom at least 15 minutes of fame in the film couldn't they.??
Brian Blessed, eh? Perhaps, perhaps. My choice, however, would have been Billy Connolly. After all, Billy has already proven he's good with ponies--

--looks good in blue and is friendly with the little people--

--and can caper about in yellow boots.

Besides, if one Scotsman named Billy is good, two is even better!

Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:13 am

Altaira, one of the main admins at TORN, quietly passes on the news from Larry Curtis, aka Mr.Cere, the TORN staffer embedded with the film crew, the news that Conan Stevens, who was surprisingly announced to be cast for the part of Azog, a character that does not appear in the book at all, will actually be playing his son Bolg, a character that plays a crucial part in the book and for which no casting announcement has been made.

While my inner Tolkien geek would certainly have been interested in seeing Azog and the whole Moria backstory that he was a part of us, it is much more critical that Bolg be in the film, and Conan Stevens is perfect for that part. So I am quite pleased to hear this be confirmed.

Lali, I'm sure enough about this news, despite the lack of a formal announcement, that you could change the sticky post, if you would like.

Post by **Lalaith** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:34 am

Okay, I will change it. Thanks!

Post by **Elentári** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 2:20 pm

Further developments on this story, from herr-der-ringe who seemingly have information regarding the casting of John Rawls to play...Azog!!!!

http://www.herr-der-ringe-film.de/v3/de ... _86784.php

Post by **Elentári** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:38 pm

It seems further confirmation on Rawls' role is coming in, via acting agency Kathryn Rawlings

Post by **Lalaith** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:29 pm

Should I call it and add him? Or wait for official confirmation?

Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:33 pm

Your call. I had posted this in the other thread because I wasn't sure.

Post by **Lalaith** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 2:10 am

Hmmm, well, I'll add it, as it seems fairly certain. I'm sure one of you will let me know if it turns out to be false, and I can amend the sticky thread as needed.

Post by **Elentári** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 1:48 pm

Board member Carne, on TORn has spotted some more "extras" casting on StarNow:

J. Y. Marik: Dwarf Nanny.
http://www.starnow.com/jenniferbethamlang1

Brendan Casey: Elven King Thranduil's Lieutenant.
http://www.starnow.com/brenmcasey

Cameron William Jones: Silven Warrior Elf.
http://www.starnow.com/annake

Alexander Reid: Gundabad Orc.
http://www.starnow.com/alexandergrahamreid

Dave Stringer: Dwarf Craftsman and Dwarf Elder.
http://www.starnow.com/davestringerNZ

Post by **Elentári** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:25 am

Scroll down through the "News" page on the Karen Kay Management website and you will find this announcement about NZ actors:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Directed by Peter Jackson for MGM Studios. Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug. Featuring Mark Mitchinson as Braga, Craig Hall as Galion, Ben Mitchell as Narzug, Nathaniel Lees as the voice of the Necromancer and Nathan Meister as a Goblin.

Galion we already knew about, but Nathaniel Lees as the voice of the Necromancer? Benedict Cumbatch said back in the Empire interview back in January that he was doing the voice! Mind you, that was the infamous interview when he talked about Sauron being at the Five Legions' war, so there's no guarantee he did actually know what he was talking about!

Thu Jul 05, 2012 4:21 pm

That's really interesting, Elen. I kinda hope it is true, because I was always a bit concerned about having the same person voice Smaug and the Necromancer.