Speculation surrounding the casting of Bilbo Baggins - the protagonist of the $300m Peter Jackson produced The Lord of the Rings prequels The Hobbit - has finally been laid to rest today with the announcement this morning from director Guillermo del Toro that Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz has bagged the coveted role. Muniz - whose other screen roles include the spy comedy Agent Cody Banks and My Sexiest Year has beaten off stiff competition from a host of actors including James McAvoy, Matthew Goode and Daniel Radcliffe and will shortly head Down Under to begin preparation for the year-long shoot expected to commence this summer.
"In casting Bilbo we wanted someone familiar to audiences and Frankie fits the bill perfectly," says del Toro. "An actor of his stature is perfect for the part and we are delighted to have him on board. Plus he's cheap, meaning we'll have more luche to stretch the two movies out."
The casting of Bilbo was quickly followed by confirmation that del Toro will reunite with two of his favourites with Ron Perlman bagging the role of shape-shifter Beorn and Hellboy co-star Doug Jones providing the voice and movements of the fearsome dragon Smaug. Meanwhile Andy Serkis will take on the roles of all thirteen dwarves via motion capture technology, as well as his previously announced return as Gollum.
"With his wonderful performances in The Lord of the Rings and King Kong, Andy has demonstrated his ability to morph into any character and we're delighted he has agreed to bring his unique talents to Thorin Oakenshield's company." Jackson is quoted as saying. "Plus he's cheap, meaning we'll have more lolly to stretch the two movies out."
Source: WETA
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