Stephen Fry boards 'Hobbit' cast

By Adnan Tezer May 19, 2011, 19:21 GMT

Stephen Fry has joined the cast of Peter Jackson's two-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit."

According to Variety, Fry will play the role of Master of Laketown.

Fry, who is also a writer, is collaborating with Jackson on the WWII film "Dambusters," based on the 1943 Allied air raid on three German dams crucial to the Nazi steel industry.

Jackson is producing "Dambusters" through his WingNut Films.

Fry will be seen in the upcoming "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" as Mycroft Holmes.

Ryan Gage and Conan Stevens have also joined the cast of "The Hobbit" as the Master's civil servant Alfrid and an Orc known as Azog, respectively.

Shooting is underway in New Zealand.

The "Hobbit" films are being co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with Warner Bros. Pictures distributing.

Warner Bros. and MGM announced in January that Warners will handle worldwide distribution on the films, handling the international distribution and home video on the films in exchange for funding MGM's half of the production costs.

The first film opens December, 2012 and the second film opens December, 2013.

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham are producing the films, with Phillipa Boyens serving as co-producer and Ken Kamins executive producing.

Walsh, Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Jackson wrote the screenplays.

Jackson, Walsh and Cunningham produced the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

The cast includes Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, Rob Kazinsky, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Stephen Hunter, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, James Nesbitt, Adam Brown, Ken Stott, Sylvester McCoy, Mikael Persbrandt, Ryan Gage, Jed Brophy and William Kircher.

Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen and Cate Blanchett are reprising their roles from the "Lord of The Rings" trilogy.