Movies News

Jackson adds Lee Pace & Dean O'Gorman to huge 'Hobbit' cast

By Anthony Pearson Apr 30, 2011, 21:13 GMT

Lee Pace, best known for his recurring role as Ned on ABC\'s hit show "Pushing Daisies."

Director Sir. Peter Jackson has added two new members to "The Hobbits" increasingly large Middle Earth cast. The dwarf character Fili has been recast. while Elven King Thranduil will be played by "Twilight: Breaking Dawn" star Lee Pace.

Fili was originally going to be portrayed by English actor Robert Kazinsky until it was announced a week ago that he had left the movie due to personal reasons. Rob will be replaced in the role by 34 year Kiwie TV actor Dean O'Gorman, best known for his role as Anders Johnson in the popular New Zealand show "The Almighty Johnsons." O'Gorman will join up with the cast and crew next week.

Also announced by Peter Jackson in his latest blog is the casting of Elven King Thranduil. The character will be played by 32 year old American actor Lee Pace. Lee is perhaps best known for his roles as Ned on ABC's "Pushing Daisies," Roy Walker in the critically acclaimed 2006 movie "The Fall" and as Garrett in the upcoming "Twilight Saga" movies. Peter Jackson went onto praise actor Lee Pace saying;

"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."

"The Hobbit: Part I" is expected for release worldwide from December 2012, while "The Hobbit: Part II" is set to hit exactly a year later.

Local Shire hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), uncle of Frodo Baggins, is living a quiet, peaceful life until Gandalf the Grey (Ian Mckellen) and a band of wandering dwarves show up to hire Bilbo for a quest that entails defeating the dragon Smaug and recovering a treasure.