Movies News

Billy Connolly becomes the latest cast member of 'The Hobbit'

By Anthony Pearson Feb 9, 2012, 13:59 GMT

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. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and Martin Freeman, who won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the BBC series ...more

Scottish stand up comedian and actor Billy Connolly has become the latest person to be cast in Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit." Billy will fill the role great dwarf warrior Dain Ironfoot, the cousin of Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage).

Director Peter Jackson couldn't hide his excitement at the casting of Billy Connolly and also confirmed that the cast for "The Hobbit" was now complete;

“We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connelly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of “The Hobbit” is now complete. We can’t wait to see him on the Battlefield!”

"The Hobbit" is being split into two movies with "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" opening around from December 14th and "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" opening December 13th, 2013.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and Martin Freeman plays the central role of Bilbo Baggins. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The ensemble cast also includes (in alphabetical order) Richard Armitage, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Evangeline Lilly, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas, and Aidan Turner.