Los Angeles, CAโDecember 7, 2010โCate Blanchett, Ken Stott, Sylvester McCoy and Mikael Persbrandt and have joined the cast of Peter Jacksonโs highly anticipated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkienโs epic โThe Hobbit.โ Also joining them are Ryan Gage, Jed Brophy and William Kircher. The films, which are scheduled to commence principal photography in February 2011, mark Jacksonโs return to Middle-earth following his Oscar-winning โLord of the Ringsโ trilogy. The announcement was made jointly 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.
Jackson, who directed all three โLord of the Ringsโ films, will helm the two films back-to-back, telling the story of โThe Hobbitโ in two parts from a screenplay by Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro.
Cate Blanchett (โLord of The Ringsโ trilogy, โThe Curious Case of Benjamin Buttonโ) will reprise her role from โLord of The Ringsโ trilogy as Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien. Ken Stott (โCharlie Wilsonโs Warโ, TVโs โRebusโ) will play the Dwarf Lord Balin, Sylvester McCoy (TVโs โDoctor Whoโ) will play the wizard Radagast the Brown and well-known Swedish actor, Mikael Persbrandt (โEverlasting Momentsโ, โDay and Nightโ) will play the shape-shifter Beorn. British actor Ryan Gage (โOutlawโ, TVโs โDoctorsโ) will play Drogo Baggins, with New Zealand actors Jed Brophy (โLord of The Ringsโ trilogy, โDistrict 9โ) playing the role of the dwarf Nori, and William Kircher (โOut of the Blueโ; TVโs โLegend of the Seekerโ) rounding out the company of Thorin Oakensheild in role of the dwarf Bifur.
Peter Jackson welcomed the news of Cate Blanchettโs return to Middle-earth โCate is one of my favorite actors to work with and I couldnโt be more thrilled to have her reprise the role she so beautifully brought to life in the earlier filmsโ On the casting of Scottish actor Ken Stott, Jackson commented โFran and I have long been fans of Kenโs work and are excited he will be joining us on this journey.โ Jackson also welcomed the addition to the cast of Swedish actor, Mikael Persbrandt โThe role of Beorn is an iconic one and Mikael was our first choice for the part. Since seeing him read for the role we canโt imagine anyone else playing this character.โ
The actors join the previously announced cast including Martin Freeman (TVโs โSherlock,โ โBreaking and Enteringโ) as Bilbo Baggins, Richard Armitage (upcoming โCaptain America: The First Avengerโ), Aidan Turner (TVโs โBeing Humanโ), Rob Kazinsky (TVs โEastEndersโ), Graham McTavish (โSecretariatโ), John Callen (TVโs โPower Rangers Jungle Furyโ), Stephen Hunter (TVโs โAll Saintsโ), Mark Hadlow (โKing Kongโ) and Peter Hambleton (TVโs โThe Stripโ). Additional cast announcements include James Nesbitt (โMillionsโ and TVโs โCold Feetโ) and newcomer Adam Brown.
โThe Hobbitโ films received a green light on October 15, and have release dates targeted for December, 2012 and December, 2013. Jackson will utilize groundbreaking visual effects and his incomparable storytelling to bring J.R.R. Tolkienโs novel to the big screen. Both โHobbitโ movies will be filmed in Digital 3-D, using the latest camera and stereo technology to create a high quality, comfortable viewing experience.
The two 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 and Zane Weiner as executive producers. The Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed โThe Lord of the Ringsโ trilogy, also from the production team of Jackson, Walsh and Cunningham, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box office.. In 2003, โThe Return of the Kingโ swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the 11 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture โ the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The trilogyโs production was also unprecedented at the time.
ABOUT NEW LINE CINEMA:
New Line Cinema continues to be one of the most successful independent film companies. For more than 40 years, its mission has been to produce innovative, popular, profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line produced the Oscarยฎ-winning โThe Lord of the Ringsโ trilogy, which is a landmark in the history of film franchises. New Line Cinema is a division of Warner Bros.
ABOUT PETER JACKSON/WINGNUT FILMS:
Peter Jackson is one of the worldโs most successful filmmakers. His monumental achievement co-writing, co-producing and directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy (with fellow Academy Award winners and frequent collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) earned a total of 30 Academy Award nominations and 17 Academy Awards. Jackson and Walsh received their first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for their acclaimed film Heavenly Creatures. Jackson, through his New Zealand-based Wingnut Films banner, also was responsible for the globally successful 2005 remake of King Kong which earned over $500 million worldwide and 3 Academy Awards. Jackson most recently directed the Academy Award nominated The Lovely Bones; an adaptation of the acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, which to date has earned nearly $100 million worldwide; and produced the global sensation, District 9, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. He is also developing a trilogy of films with Steven Spielberg based on Tintin, the world renowned comic book series by Herge. In 2010 he received a Knighthood for his services to film.
ABOUT METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the worldโs largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.
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