David Tennant odds-on to play Bilbo Baggins

Although the film version of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit hasn’t even had the green light yet rumours have been swirling that British Doctor Who actor David Tennant has been offered the leading role of Bilbo.

But Jackson dampened the gossip, telling the movie news service Total Film: "We haven’t offered the role to anybody yet. The studio hasn’t even green-lit The Hobbit yet, but everyone is assuming the film is all happening," he told the Comic-Con in California.

Guillermo del Toro has already confirmed that Hugo Weaving will reprise the role of Elrond while Andy Serkis will return as Gollum and Ian McKellen will again play Gandalf.

The Hobbit is a tale of high adventure, undertaken by a company of dwarves in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving unambitious hobbit, who surprises even himself by his resourcefulness and skill as a burglar. Encounters with trolls, goblins, dwarves, elves and giant spiders, conversations with the dragon, Smaug, and a rather unwilling presence at the Battle of Five Armies are just some of the adventures that befall Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of children’s fiction. Written by Professor Tolkien for his own children, "The Hobbit" met with instant critical acclaim when published.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on 3 January 1892 in Bloemfontein, capital of the Orange Free State in South Africa. The Lord of the Rings was completed in 1949, but publication was further delayed while Tolkien tried to find a publisher who would agree to publish both The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. When this proved impossible, Tolkien allowed Allen and Unwin to publish The Lord of the Rings on its own. The book was divided into three separately titled volumes (somewhat to Tolkien’s annoyance, since the work was not intended as a trilogy). The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers were published in 1954 and The Return of the King in 1955.

Related posts

Posted: August 1st, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: JRR Tolkien

Do you have something to add to this post? Please leave a comment

Image: Apartment 16 book cover

Book of the Month

Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And it’s been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.

Previous winners of Book of the Month

An image of author Alex Bell

Latest interviews

Interviews plus question and answer sessions with authors, narrators and publishers.

Image: A Game of Thrones book cover

Must-reads

The following reviews are of books that begin the very best fantasy series available.

Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe

Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.

Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland

Image: The Mystery of Lewis Carroll book cover

Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.

Top 100 fantasy books Young adult fantasy books Children's fantasy books Image: Fallen by Lauren Kate book cover image The Wonderful Wizard of Oz eBook

Search

 

Pages

Show pages | Hide pages

Archive

Sub-genres

Meta