After going back and forth for a long time, we finally have a confirmed cast for The Hobbit, and with production right around the corner they’ve all stepped out from behind the curtain to say hello before diving head-first into Middle Earth.
The Lord of the Rings prequel will be directed by Peter Jackson, and several key members of the original trilogy will be returning, including Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis. Among those who are new to the series, we have Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Rob Kazinsky, Aidan Turner, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Mikael Persbrant, and Sylvester McCoy.
This first image shows us all 13 men playing Dwarves in the film, as well as the one Hobbit, played by Martin Freeman (who’s starring as Bilbo Baggins). The men all lined up for a start-of-production press conference so that fans could familiarize themselves with the large ensemble cast full of fresh new faces. Director Peter Jackson, who’s returning to direct his fourth and fifth Lord of the Rings-related film (yes, The Hobbit will be a two-parter) had this to say: "Despite some delays we are fully back on track and very excited to get started."
Head over here to watch a video of the men being introduced, and then over here to listen to the entire press conference. The Hobbit, Part 1 is due in theaters on December 19th, 2012.
