Fans of actor Billy Connolly ought to dawn some kilts and really celebrate. The Scotsman, Braveheart, Boondock Saint, Brave voice actor, Last Samurai actor, and lover of Mrs. Brown, has just been added to the cast of The Hobbit and in what we hear is a very key role!

For the two-part adaptation of of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic, Connolly will play Dain Ironfoot, a character who THR quoted Jackson as calling, “the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves.” There will be battle scenes! That’s enough to make Lord of the Rings fans, and fans of the actor, get together and smile.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, visits theaters beginning on December 14th from Warner Bros./New Line and MGM. Part two, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, follows on December 13th, 2013. The cast includes Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman as young Bilbo Baggins, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom and Andy Serkis.

Here’s a bit of trivia. Dain Ironfoot is the cousin of Thorin Oakenshield.

As for Jackson, the Kiwi director was also the primary producer for The Adventures of Tintin, directed by Steven Spielberg, and also starring Andy Serkis. He’s been promoting West of Mephis, the documentary directed by Amy Berg, pretty heavily on his official Facebook page.

We have Bilbo! We have Sting! We have an update on one unexpected, and hopefully incredible, journey! Hey, that refers to on and off the set of The Hobbit!

The LA Times just shared this dramatic new image from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and we couldn’t help but jump for joy because of it. Covered in sweat and grime, it depicts one courageous hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. He is acted this time around by Martin Freeman. Sting, that very special blade, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have changed at all.

The Times also suggested that “an unexpected journey” has become “a sort of epic inside joke” on the set. You remember, don’t you, all the trials that came along with making this prequel a reality? There were enough delays to make a grey wizard go mad. Still, director Peter Jackson must be sitting more comfortably now. He tells the Times that fate has been “kind”. We’re glad, Peter, because it is the fans who will reap plenty of benefits when Middle Earth erupts again into the cinema. So, mark your calendars for December 14th.

Jackson can also smile because over the weekend, at the 69th Golden Globe Awards, Steven Spielberg accepted the statuette for The Adventures of Tintin, which won Best Animated Feature Film. Though Jackson was absent, Spielberg heartily thanked the Tintin producer. Tintin also starred Andy Serkis, who you will see reprising the role of Gollum this coming December. He’s joined by Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Christopher Lee and even Ian Holm, who will return to the character of Bilbo when we have to see his more aged version.

Yes, the title says logistics, which is usually a very boring word, but Peter Jackson has such passion for what he’s doing that it shines through when he talks about The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey so this little behind-the-scenes look at shooting on location in New Zealand is actually interesting, especially when Hobbiton turns out to be real.

With Gandalf on the scene, there’s no doubt that magic takes place on the big screen, but there’s plenty of magic happening behind the scenes too as Jackson and the film crew venture forth from the studio to the real world. Just imagine having to transport 700 members of the crew, 240 vehicles, and numerous animals in a coordinated move that requires everyone to show up at the right place at the right time. Add in those little real-life necessities like food, shelter, and bathrooms, and it’s easy to imagine all the different things that could go wrong, especially when you consider that filming was still going on while the crew was packing up for the trip.

Jackson and some other members of his team talk about it all, and Elijah Wood even makes an appearance in full Frodo costume to take us on a mini-tour of Hobbiton. Here’s a little shocker that might make you shake your head in wonder about all the time that’s passed by. Wood was 19 when he first stepped into Hobbiton. He’s 30 now. Yeah, I feel old, too.

One final interesting detail was revealed in the clip below that convinced me I must journey to New Zealand one of these days because it turns out Hobbiton is real. When Lord of the Rings was filmed, it was just a lot of fancy set-work but the Hobbit village is now a reality that Jackson hopes will remain standing for decades to come. How cool is that?

It’s time to take an unexpected journey back to Middle Earth. It will all begin in The Shire, with the most unexpected of creatures, a Hobbit. I’m speaking of the upcoming prequel adventure, of course, and here is a heart warming trailer just for you. I’ll bet you will want to watch it more than once!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first half of the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings prequel which stars Martin Freeman as the young Bilbo Baggins. From New Line Cinema, MGM, and Warner Bros. Pictures, the film follows Bilbo as Ian McKellen’s Gandalf sends him on a perilous journey alongside a number of dwarves. Their mission is to reconquer the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, taken long ago by the dragon Smaug. You can guess the journey will be quite epic.

Along the way, some familiar faces you will encounter are those of Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, and even Andy Serkis. Woo! There are new faces as well. Richard Armitage brings to life Thorin Oakenshield; Lost‘s Evangeline Lilly is Tauriel, an elf from Mirkwood; Lee Pace is Thranduil, father of Legolas; and amazingly, Freeman’s Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch will provide the voice of Smaug!

I hear our group of travelers will encounter Goblins, Orcs, enormous spiders, a shapeshifter or two and sorcerers a-plenty. Hey, is it 2012 yet, because I can’t wait.

Peter Jackson might have gotten your attention with the visuals in the Lord of the Rings trilogy but he wants to take movie-goers on a brand new journey with The Hobbit by adding in that third dimension so many studios enjoy playing with these days. Find out a little about Jackson’s 3D Hobbit adventure.

After watching this informative and in-depth video from The Hobbit Facebook page, you might think it’s a miracle that The Hobbit is even getting made, and it will be very impressive if the production team is able to hit that December 14, 2012 release date, because we are talking tons and tons of equipment here.

Peter Jackson and a few other people involved in production walk us through some of the steps involved in making a 3D film, and it becomes apparent that new boundaries are being crossed when it comes to The Hobbit. Even the traditionally 2D concept art is being done in 3D.

While filming 3D in a studio might not be the easiest thing in the world, the crew is probably facing new challenges now since production has moved out of the studio and on to location shooting in New Zealand.

Unfortunately, we can’t see all that fancy 3D put to use in the clip below but we get to see enough to know The Hobbit is going to be awesome on the big screen. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for it.

Evangeline Lilly, who is in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, will probably be making movies forever because she apparently has a hard time saying no, which resulted in a few upcoming films instead of the long-term vacation she had originally planned.

Lilly stopped by NBC and spoke with Jay Leno about her role in Real Steel, but as the video provided below reveals, there’s been too much going on in her life to stick with just one subject. In addition to possibly shocking her partner by telling the world that she wants a “brood” when it comes to children, Lilly talks about how her plans to leave the spotlight after the end of Lost met a quick end when she was offered the chance to work with Hugh Jackman on Real Steel.

Reasoning that she had always wanted to work with Jackman and the project would only be two to three weeks long for her, she was quick to jump at the chance. With the robot boxing movie behind her, Lilly once again planned to step out of the spotlight… but then she got a phone call from Peter Jackson.

“Pete Jackson called,” remembers Lilly, “and he says, ‘Would you like to be an elf on The Hobbit,’ and I said, ‘Yes. I really do want to do that.” Now, Lilly has four movies lined up, and more will probably be no further away than a phone call because taking part in The Hobbit will once again put Lilly front and center in the spotlight, although she never actually left to begin with.

Calling all inhabitants of Middle Earth! If we want to survive An Unexpected Journey, we must stick together. Let’s go through a roll call, shall we? We don’t want to lose anybody, especially with Smaug lurking in the dark places. Familiar faces will be easier to keep track of. Legolas is tall and quick anyway. Gandalf has that great, pointy grey hat to stand apart from the crowd…

Click on the above image for the super-sized look!

I’m talking director Peter Jackson’s latest project, of course. The prequel, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey involves a whole army of Dwarf characters. We’ve been making introductions all month long. Most recently Boomtron unleashed upon fans the Prince Thorin Oakenshield and his hungry blade, “Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver.” Is it unnatural to have a wee crush on a Dwarf? I haven’t even seen the movies yet. Part One, An Unexpected Journey is due in December 2012.

Of course today’s feature is the whole gang of mine-dwellers together in one image. They are: Jed Brophy as Nori, DeanO’Gorman as Fili, MARK HADLOW as Dori, James Nesbitt as Bofur, Peter Hambleton as Gloin, GRAHAM McTAVISH as Dwalin, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, Ken Stott as Balin, John Callen as Oin, Stephen Hunter as Bombur, William Kircher as Bifur, Adam Brown as Ori and Aidan Turner as Kili.

Behold, Thorin Oakenshield, the Dwarf prince. You see him now and you’ll get to meet him in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, thanks to Peter Jackson. And get this action fans, I do believe the weapon he’s wielding is called “Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver.” If that ain’t cool, I don’t know what is. Of course meeting the new Bilbo Baggins, portrayed by actor Martin Freeman is also nice. Gandalf puts in an appearance, too, if you’ll follow that link.

Boomtron has been making introductions all month. It seems the two upcoming Hobbit films will be heavy on Dwarf characters. We last met Balin and Dwalin, as well as Bofur, Bombur, and Bifur.

As for Mr. Oakenshield, theonering.net describes a survivor of “a great fire-breathing Dragon” which ransacked the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor killing lot’s of his family. When another monster, Smaug, stole the treasures within The Lonely Mountain, surviving Dwarves were forced into exile. These trials made Thorin into an incredible leader and wily fighter. For him, joining the new adventure is a quest for revenge.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (better known as part one of the prequel project) comes to theaters December 14th, 2012. When we know more, you will, too!

Even more dwarves revealed from Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey! Today we get Balin and Dwalin who get introduced via Time. We’ve previously been introduced to and caught glimpses of Bofur, Bombur, and Bifur, Fili and Kili, Nori, Ori, and Dori, and finally the tandem of Oin and Gloin (father of Gimli from the The Lord of the Rings trilogy!). Warner Brothers also included a description of the two latest dwarves to Time:

“Dwarf Lords in their own right, Balin and Dwalin are close relatives of Thorin. Beyond this, these brothers are two of his most loyal and trusted friends. An old warrior, Balin has lived through hard times and fought many battles, yet he harbors doubts about the wisdom of the Quest to retake the Lonely Mountain. Dwalin has no such forebodings – his belief in Thorin’s leadership is unshakeable. A powerful and bruising fighter, with a natural tendency to distrust anyone who is not a Dwarf, particularly anyone who might be an Elf, Dwalin is not someone to cross lightly.”

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of two film adapting Tolkien’s The Hobbit, hits theater on in December 2012. Jackson is returning with some familiar faces with Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellan returning to continue (prequel style) their portrayals of Legolas and Gandalf. Some of new blood we will see include LOST’s Evangeline Lilly, Stephen Fry, and Martin Freeman, who will play the central character of Bilbo Baggins.

Dwarves are taking over Boomtron today as we reveal the identities of more characters from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. As you know, Peter Jackson’s upcoming return to Middle Earth, prequel style, will come in the form of two new films, titled An Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again. We have already made introductions of Nori, Ori, and Dori, as well as Gloin and Oin. That name, Gloin, should be familiar to even casual fans of Lord of the Rings. You have even reacquainted with Bilbo and Gandalf.

Now meet Bofur, Bombur, and Bifur, thanks to IGN. They may be short, but they are weapons ready! These hearty fellows, “born and bred in the West, descendants of coal miners and iron workers…have joined the Quest for the Lonely Mountain partly to seek their fortune and partly because they were told the beer was free.” My kind of chaps!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has an anticipated release date into theaters of December 2012. The cast, large enough to invade a small country, is comprised of Martin Freeman, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Luke Evans, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lily, Christopher Lee, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis, Stephen Fry, Lee Pace and Ian Holm, just to name a few.

Peter Jackson has a steep hill to climb, but the latest pics of dwarves Fili and Kili from MSN Entertainment reveal that he’s doing a pretty good job of tackling that mountain.

LOTR introduced us to Gimli, and if you didn’t picture him whenever you had a book with dwarves in it, you probably pictured someone that looks a lot like him. So, what do you do when you’ve already created the perfect dwarf? Risk going off in a unique direction and possibly upsetting legions of fanboys all over the world, or a make a film that gets real confusing real fast because all the little people that aren’t Hobbits look like Gimli carbon-copies?

It might have initially seemed like a huge risk, but the recent photos of Gloin and Oin, along with the trio of Nori, Ori, and Dori proves that Jackson is a man that knows what he’s doing, with Kili looking like he’d be equally as comfortable in The Highlander or one of the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

The latest duo to join The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Fili (Dean O’Gorman) and Kili (Aidan Turner), are the youngest of the dwarves taking part in the journey. They’re part of the royal line of Durin, raised by their stern uncle, Thorin Oakensheild.

The latest Hobbit news hasn’t been all about the dwarves though. We also have some pics of Gandalf the Grey and Bilbo Baggins.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is expected to arrive in theaters on December 14, 2012, with The Hobbit: There and Back Again hitting the big screen on December 13, 2013.

Two more of Tolkien’s – by way of Peter Jackson – dwarves have been revealed! We now, via Yahoo Movies, have a look at Gloin and Oin to go along with the previous release of an image depicting the trio of Nori, Ori and Dori. To fans of The Lord of the Rings one of the two, Gloin, may be most significant, being the father of Gimli from the trilogy. Gloin and Oin are brothers and are portrayed by Peter Hambleton and John Callen respectively. Last month also brought us looks of a younger Bilbo (played by Martin Freeman) and Ian Mckellan, who is back as the wizard Gandalf.

Orlando Bloom is also back as Legolas, and last month revealed that Luke Evans has been cast as had Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch, who will voice the dragon, Smaug. Also recently cast are Barry Humphries and LOST’s Evangeline Lilly. You can check out all of our past Hobbit news and keep up with future updates from Boomtron here.

The Hobbit marks the return of Peter Jackson to Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, adapting the original novel into two films. The first is titled The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14, 2012), and the second carries the familiar name of The Hobbit: There and Back Again (December 13, 2013).

If you have been following BoomTron‘s faithful coverage of the making of The Hobbit, then you already know the two films in the daring prequel features “a bunch of snarky dwarves.” That’s a direct quote from our story on the recent Middle Earth themed Empire magazine cover story. Now it is time to meet those crazy dwarves.

The official Facebook page for the films released today’s photograph of Nori, Ori and Dori. Leave it to Tolkien to come up with such fun names.

Here’s a note of explanation:

JED BROPHY as Nori, ADAM BROWN as Ori and MARK HADLOW as Dori in New Line Cinema’s and MGM’s fantasy adventure THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by James Fisher.

DORI, NORI & ORI
These three brothers, all sons of the same mother, could not be more different from each other. Dori, the oldest, spends much of his time watching out for Ori, the youngest; making sure he’s not caught a chill or got himself killed by Wargs or Goblins. Nobody quite knows what Nori gets up to most of the time, except that it’s guaranteed to be dodgy and quite probably, illegal. Dori, Nori and Ori are intensely loyal to each other – and whilst they are perfectly happy fighting amongst themselves, woe-betide anyone who means harm to one of these brothers.

There was also a lovely look at Bilbo in Entertainment Weekly, dontcha know! And say, am I the only one who thinks its weird that Lost’s Evangeline Lily was recently cast? Other actors you will identify in the films are Orlando Bloom, a certain Sherlock actor, some sort of barbarian (…?), and golden girl Saoirse Ronan. Of course Galadriel and Gandolph are back, too.

Will there be smoke rings? I don’t know, but I do spy with my little eye Gandalf the Grey and his pipe! Empire magazine is taking us back to Middle Earth in recognition of Peter Jackson’s project, The Hobbit, part one of which snuggles into theaters December 14th, 2012. In fact, a certain wizard took the cover of the current issue, hitting stands next Thursday. Inside the issue you’ll also discover a close up of a contemplative Sir Ian Mckellan, returning to his character, and you’ll meet Sherlock‘s Martin Freeman as Bilbo.

On the New Zealand set, director Jackson said, I’m exactly the same filmmaker as I was ten years ago. I’m trying to nail the same thing that I did before. I’m just telling the story.”

Of course a key change is this couple of prequels features “a bunch of snarky dwarves”. “They don’t know what to make of Gandalf, they think Bilbo is a wuss, and Elrond a prissy headmaster type,” laughs Jackson.

Don’t forget, The Hobbit was also a feature story for Entertainment Weekly. And, yes, Legolas will return! Is that good news or bad? You tell me! Lost actress Evangeline Lily will play Tauriel the elf. When we know more, you will, too!

Squee! I’m sorry, I can’t help myself. Sherlock actor Martin Freeman is TOO CUTE as Bilbo Baggins, aka The Hobbit. Gosh, just look at him up there. He looks 15 years younger, yes? Thank you Entertainment Weekly, for not one, not two, but THREE first looks at the latest Peter Jackson production! Skip on over to the EW site to peruse the other images. They include a portrait of Gandolf the Gray (it is a prequel, remember), and The Hobbit star with his director. You will find the full Middle Earth article in the June 24 print issue of EW. Oh, wait, that’s today! Squee again!

Freeman’s Sherlock co-star will also appear in the two-part epic. Evangeline Lilly is in the cast and Legolas will return.

So, what are the director’s thoughts on his new star? ”He fits the ears, and he’s got some very nice feet,” Jackson says of his Bilbo. ”I think he’s got the biggest hobbit feet we’ve had so far. They’re a little bit hard to walk in, but he’s managed to figure out the perfect hobbit gait.”

Jackson also gave the good word on the shooting process. ”There’s no way you can pace yourself for shoots like these,” Jackson says. ”When we were going through the schedule for The Hobbit, I felt a terrible drop in my stomach when I saw that we’d be shooting for 254 days. We’re only 12 days short of The Lord of the Rings even though we’re only doing two movies. When I saw that, I had to sort of pick myself up off the floor and carry on.”

You do know the titles for the two films, right? Enjoy!

Check it out. Thanks to Peter Jackson’s latest update on his official Facebook page, we know that the casting for The Hobbit isn’t done yet. Sure, we just found out who will be showing up as Smaug and Bard the Grim and filming is already underway, but Jackson is still reeling them in.

Evangeline Lilly is no longer Lost as she finds her way to Middle-Earth as a brand new character known as Tauriel. The name means “daughter of Mirkwood” and she’s a Woodland Elf that, according to Jackson, will not have a romantic connection to Legolas. Is anyone else curious as to why the director felt it was important to point that out?

Tauriel might be new but Barry Humphries is coming onboard as a character that’s been around for a while… or maybe not. I’m a little rusty on the novel but don’t seem to recall an actual character named Goblin King, although there was definitely someone in charge of the wicked baddies. Humphries will portray the Goblin King the same way Andy Serkis does Gollum so the cross-dresser best known for the creation of Dame Edna Everage might not be easily recognizable when the film hits the big screen.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey arrives in theaters on December 14, 2012, with The Hobbit: There and Back Again showing up on the big screen on December 13, 2013.

It looks like all the major players are finally in place as two more people join Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.

Luke Evans, who will soon be crossing blades on the big screen as Aramis in the upcoming Three Musketeers, tackles another action-packed role as Bard the Grim, described by Deadline as “somewhat reminiscent of the action-hero exploits of Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn.” Bard is a skilled archer and the heir of King Girion of Dale, and the throne is now closer since the talking dragon, Smaug, killed his father.

Speaking of Smaug, one actor in particular will now be working double duty according to Deadline. Benedict Cumberbatch, who is already providing the voice for Necromancer, will also be lending his voice talents to Smaug, portraying the talking dragon with motion capture. While Middle-Earth might be all about Cumberbatch’s voice, you can actually see his face as the title character on the BBC/PBS series, Sherlock, as well as on the big screen in the upcoming Steven Spielberg-directed War Horse and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, with Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy and Colin Firth.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is expected to arrive in theaters on December 14, 2012, with The Hobbit: There and Back Again showing up on the big screen on December 13, 2013.

Peter Jackson’s return to the shire now has a name. Two in fact. One for each half of the Lord of the Rings prequel. We’re proud to unveil the titles now. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again are sure to pack the theaters!

Here is what we learned from the official press release.

The first film is scheduled to open on December 14, 2012 with the second film following on December 13, 2013.

Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” The adventure of “The Hobbit” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Under Jackson’s direction, both movies are being shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming is taking place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.

More big news for the films came to us yesterday. Want Legolas? You got him! Actor Bret McKenzie will also appear in the film. When we know more, you will, too!

You can’t keep a good elf down. To prove it, Orlando Bloom will reprise his role as the golden haired archer, Legolas, in The Hobbit. Where did we hear the news? It doesn’t get any more official than this. Director of the Lord of the Rings two part prequel, Peter Jackson, gave the word via Facebook.

Here were his exact words:

Ten years ago, Orlando Bloom created an iconic character with his portrayal of Legolas. I’m excited to announce today that we’ll be revisiting Middle Earth with him once more. I’m thrilled to be working with Orlando again. Funny thing is, I look older—and he doesn’t! I guess that’s why he makes such a wonderful elf.

Who else will appear in the return to Middle Earth? Saoirse Ronan (who just happens to have also won the starring role in Stephenie Meyer’s The Host adaptation) is also an elf. Two Sherlock actors are definitely in. Your Gandalf also returns.

If you aren’t familiar with the Tolkien prequel, it is an adventure had by Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo.

And what has Mr. Bloom been up to lately? Why he is busy portraying a character based upon the real life Duke of Buckingham on the set The Three Musketeers to be released in 3D this October.

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has more than just an interesting name and smart good looks. His acting resume includes the BBC drama Hawking, for which he portrayed the infamous Stephen Hawking in 2004, and the role of Sherlock Holmes in the Steven Moffat created 2010 BBC TV series, Sherlock. What’s next for the actor? How about a visit to The Shire?

There was a recent Tweet from Lizo Mzimba, a London-based journalist, which read thus:

“Martin Freeman just said Benedict Cumberbatch will be in The Hobbit.”

No confirmation yet, but color we at BoomTron, quite interested! When we learn more, you will, too.

Of course there are plenty of actors who are confirmed to appear in The Hobbit, Peter Jackson’s prequel and return to Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

Cate Blanchett will be there, Ian McKellen returns, Saoirse Ronan is on board, Lee Pace has signed the dotted line, and there be a Conan of sorts!

Of course, Martin Freeman will definitely be along. Why? He’s our young Bilbo! The British actor is linked to Cumberbatch, as he is his Dr. Watson! for that role, he has won the 2011 BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. Freeman also appeared in the UK’s The Office.

On the big screen Freeman has appeared in Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Middle Earth just got some new inhabitants. At least one is a great big Orc, so ready your chain mail and sword!

Peter Jackson’s Facebook page is the place for all the latest casting news. Let the Shire dwellers rejoice.

This is from his latest release:

We are thrilled to confirm that Stephen Fry will be playing The Master of Laketown. I’ve known Stephen for several years, and we’re developing a DAMBUSTERS movie together. In addition to his writing skills, he’s a terrific actor and will create a very memorable Master for us.

The Master’s conniving civil servant, Alfrid will be played by Ryan Gage. Ryan is a great young actor who we originally cast in a small role, but we liked him so much, we promoted him to the much larger Alfrid part.

Last, and certainly not least, is Conan Stevens, who will be playing an Orc called Azog (Orcs are never called Roger or Dennis for some strange reason). And yes that’s his name—Conan! Isn’t that cool? Azog is played by Conan! Here’s a photo of Conan and I together… I’m pretty tall, probably at least 6’5″ or 6’6″ I would guess, so that gives you some clue how tall Conan is! You can learn all about him at www.conanstevens.com.

Got a busy day’s shooting ahead, so I’m about to jump in the car—but look out for the beginning of the 20 questions answers very soon. Thanks for the questions, many are very insightful. I’ve been through all of them and have a list ready to go.

Cheers,

Peter J

Who else is in? Who else is out?

Hey, hey, hey, Middle Earthlings! Are you ready to return to the land of Tolkien? Over at Peter Jackson’s Facebook page, we learned the latest in casting news for the prequel to Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit. Allow us to share the visionary director’s words:

I’m very pleased to be welcoming two new cast members to our team.

Dean O’Gorman will be playing Fili. Dean’s a terrific Kiwi actor, who I am thrilled to be working with. He’s recently been in an excellent TV series down here called “The Almighty Johnsons”, and I should let fans of that show know that our shooting schedule allows Dean to continue with a second series next year. Dean will be joining us next week.

I’m also pleased to announce that Lee Pace will be playing the Elven King Thranduil. Casting these Tolkien stories is very difficult, especially the Elven characters, and Lee has always been our first choice for Thranduil. He’s going to be great. We loved his performance in a movie called “The Fall” a few years ago, and have been hoping to work with him since. When we were first discussing who would be right for Thranduil, Lee came into mind almost immediately.

It’s been a great week, and I’m looking forward to the next few. It’s going to be interesting…

More soon.

Cheers,

Peter J

Today’s news follows word about one actor departing the production and some great stories about who will return and who is new to the franchise.

Filming has barely even started on The Hobbit but one dwarf is already down, according to a recent statement from Peter Jackson on his Facebook page.

“I am sad to report that Rob Kazinsky, who was cast in the role of Fili, is having to leave The Hobbit and return home, for personal reasons. Rob has been terrific to work with and his enthusiasm and infectious sense of humour will be missed by all of us. I should say that Rob’s departure will not affect ongoing filming of The Hobbit, nor will it impact work done to date, as we had yet to film much of Fili’s storyline. At the moment we are shooting scenes featuring Bilbo without the Dwarves, which will give us time to find a new Fili. I’ll keep everyone posted with updates as they come.

Cheers,

Peter J”

Kazinsky also let fans know via his Twitter profile, tweeting,

“Thanks for all your support, Peter and team have been the most wonderful and supportive team to work for and it’s with a truly sad heart that things have turned out this way. The Hobbit will go on to be as great as I’ve seen and I will miss the family and friends that i’ve here, From every disaster i’ve tried to make an opportunity.”

If you’re looking for a break in Hollywood, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to join the army of commenters on Jackson’s FB page, as many list numerous reasons as to why they would be the perfect Fili. Of course, most of those reason seem to be along the lines of “I’m short so choose me,” and I’m hoping the part requires just a little more than that as a prerequisite.

Boomtron Podcast is the official podcast of BSCreview and the rest of the BSC Empire.  It’s groupthink on genre news from the most un-nerdy group you will find talking about SFF in public. 

This week–the first of our weekly podcasts to feature a review of a full Game of Thrones episode–Elena, Damon, and Rachel touch on I Saw the Devil, the Iron Throne photo op’s in New York, the new crime comedy Breaking In, and Twitter. Rachel revisits some of the Hobbit-hate from last week with research on what the story adds are, and we get dirty talking about Joe Abercrombie’s obsession with lady knobs (not the kind you’re thinking).  We tap our knowledge of Gaiman adaptations with the netbuzz that American Gods might be getting the HBO treatment as well.  But our main focus was, of course, the series premiere of Game of Thrones on HBO, so we spend most of our time on the review of “Winter Is Coming.” 

You can now check out our podcasts on iTunes–just search Boomtron Podcast–and if you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), give it a review there! 

Times
I Saw the Devil – 1:23
Game of Thrones Iron Throne photo op – 2:27
Breaking In – 3:50
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods to HBO miniseries? – 7:38
Twitter – 15:22
Joe Abercrombie’s obsession with knobby backs – 19:35
Revisiting Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit – 22:44
Game of Thrones premiere “Winter Is Coming” in review – 25:52

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Follow us on Twitter: Damon @BSCkids, Elena @BSCreview, Rachel at @DarthRachel

Boomtron Podcast is the official podcast of BSCreview and the rest of the BSC Empire.  It’s groupthink on genre news from the most un-nerdy group you will find talking about SFF in public. 

On this podcast Elena, Damon, and Rachel touch on HBO’s viral marketing for Game of Thrones, R.A. Salvatore’s latest Drizzt book, Duncan Jones’ Source Code, and casting for The Hunger Games before getting into Peter Jackson’s work on The Hobbit movie(s).  We finish out by dissecting the 15-minute preview of Game of Thrones which aired last Sunday.

Times:
Gauntlgrym by R.A. Salvatore - 1:45
Game of Thrones food trucks - 4:50
Source Code (contains spoilers!) – 9:40
Hunger Games casting - 16:15
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit - 20:15
Reaction to first 15 minutes of Game of Thrones - 30:05