Ian Holm Will Return for ‘The Hobbit’

Ian Holm Will Return for ‘The Hobbit’

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

We all thought it would never happen, but production has miraculously begun on “The Hobbit,” with none other than Peter Jackson himself returning as director. Fanboys across the world are rejoicing, counting down the days until they can return to Middle Earth with old friends.

And when we say “old friends,” we mean it. True, “The Hobbit” certainly won’t feature all the same players from the original trilogy, but icons like Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are back for another round of sorcery and swordplay, and rumors have been circulating that folks like Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood could be making an appearance as well.

The film runs the risk of being bogged down by the weight of nostalgia, but in this case, we can’t complain.

One actor who we didn’t expect to be back, however, was Ian Holm, who portrayed Bilbo Baggins in “Fellowship” and “King.” Too old to play the young version of his character, Holm has had to step aside and let Martin Freeman take on the duty. While such a casting decision will of course disrupt some of the continuity of the films, overall, it’s the smart thing to do.

However, according to Ain’t It Cool News, Holm isn’t completely out of the picture. Peter Jackson has confirmed that the actor will return as the elder Bilbo in “The Hobbit,” although given the fact that the story centers on young Bilbo, we can’t be sure how large his role will be.

Still, this means that we can add another name to the roster of returning players. Surely this will please fans of the franchise who are dying to see their favorite characters on screen one more time. Now if only they could find a way to work Viggo Mortensen back in there…