(...continued The Gangs Back Together from above)
Now some of the cast will return in The Hobbit and some have large parts in the 1937 novel The Hobbit and others are mentioned. Various actors and actresses have come forward saying that they will return and others have mentioned that they would want to return.
Sir Ian Holm will not reprise his role as the older Bilbo Baggins, but not as a young Bilbo as he did in the 2001 film adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring where he is shown in a quick prologue to the trilogy. Holm was shown with darker hair in Gollum's cave finding the One Ring. Holm has been said to reprise his role as the older Bilbo in The Hobbit and it would be rightly justified as Holm has played Frodo in the 1981 radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings . Martin Freeman will play the young Bilbo Baggins who will star in the two part films.
Elijah Wood has been said to return as Frodo Baggins (even though he was not born until after the ending of the novel, but there are two parts to this prequel).
Sir Ian McKellen will play Gandalf the Grey and McKellen has been waiting patiently to reprise his role. At times, McKellen has put off taking on roles to leave room in his schedule to play Gandalf the Grey again. Although has turned down movie offers, McKellen has been in many films in the last decade including the second and third installments of the X-Men series sparring on screen opposite to fellow Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart. He has voiced many parts over the last decade including a favorite of mine, Stardust. He has teamed up with Lord of the Rings trilogy co-Knight Christopher Lee in the first film adaptation installment The Golden Compass of the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy "His Dark Materials".
Sir Christopher Lee (who has performed roles in 274 films since 1948 making him the Guinness book world record holder for most film acting roles ever) will maybe be reprising his role as Saruman the White but has been rumored to want play the voice of Smaug as he played the Jabberwocky in Tim Burton's adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic book Alice in Wonderland a Christopher Lee had entered into negotiations to reprise the role of Saruman for the prequel film The Hobbit . Lee had originally said he would have liked to have shown Saruman's corruption by Sauron, but would not be comfortable flying to New Zealand at his age. Lee went on to say that if a film were made, he would love to voice Smaug, as it would mean he could record his part in England, and not have to travel.
On 11 January 2011, Lee announced on his website that he would be reprising his role. Filming of The Hobbit: There And Back Again began in February 2011. A July 2011 behind-the-scenes featurette showed Peter Jackson at the Pinewood Studios in London and Lee in make-up and costume as Saruman.
The immortal Elves will return in the prequel and will probably not show any age.
Once again Hugo Weaving will play Elrond, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel and Orlando Bloom will return as Legolas (when Jackson saw Bloom again he mentioned how little Bloom had aged.)
Andy Serkis, fresh of his success as Caesar in The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, will play the troubled Hobbit Gollum
To bring the same visual art to the screen returning for the production are a big part of the production crew; among others, illustrator legends John Howe and Alan Lee, art director Dan Hennah and cinematographer Andrew Lesnie. |
Veteran actor John Rhys-Davies believes his offer to make an appearance in The Hobbit may have caused Peter Jackson's stomach ulcer. The 66-year-old Lord of the Rings star 
