Hobbit Casting Rumor: Tennant, McAvoy And Radcliffe In Running For Bilbo Baggins?
WhenPeter JacksonandGuillermo del TorogetThe Hobbitgoing before cameras soon, Ian Holm, who playedHobbithero Bilbo Baggins in theLord of the Ringstrilogy, won’t be back in big rubber feet. Casting Bilbo is a big deal; any actor chosen will have to hold his own against a horde of effects while still putting across a lot of character. Now three names are increasingly being rumored as options for Jackson and del Toro:Dr. Who’sDavid Tennant;Wanted’sJames McAvoy; andHarry Potter’sDaniel Radcliffe. Musing about the options and probability of all three after the break.
Peter Jackson will be at the San Diego Comic Con next week, leading to supposition that we’ll get a casting announcement then. David Tennant is an interesting option; he’s making his first Comic Con appearance next week, which was originally surmised to be part of a push for aDr. Whofeature film. Now theHero Complexblog of the LA Times wonders if he might not actually be there because ofThe Hobbit. Tennant would certainly be a neat choice. He’s done great things inDr. Whoand isn’t wildly exposed outside of genre circles, which would allow mainstream audiences to approach his work as Bilbo with fresh eyes.
That’s exactly why having Daniel Radcliffe’s name in the rumor ring doesn’t make sense. He’s already demonstrated an interest in playing smaller roles afterHarry Potter; why would Radcliffe jump right into a long commitment to another big fantasy adaptation just as his last Potter films wrap? He can’t possibly need the payday.
That leaves James McAvoy, possibly more flexible and capable than Tennant, and only a bit more exposed. Sure, a lot of people sawWanted(and some even sawAtonementandThe Last King of Scotland) but McAvoy is hardly a household name. Tennant could get Bilbo’s good nature perfectly, but it’s easier to imagine McAvoy playing a little game with Gollum, down in the dark.
Or, it should go without saying, maybe it will be none of these names at all. If I recall correctly, McAvoy was originally rumored as a choice by one of the British tabloids, and trusting those is about as safe as chowing down on week-old roadkill.
via:Rejects
