# Cast the Hobbit movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311 "2008-01-04T20:46:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/1 "2008-01-04T20:46:12Z")
Not an original thread idea, I grant you, but anyway: It should be a given that Andy Serkis and Ian McKellan would reprise their roles as Gollum and Gandalf. I would love to have seen Ian Holm as Bilbo, but that’s probably not feasible. I vote for Hugo Weaving continuing as Elrond too. So still to cast are Bilbo, Thorin, other dwarves, Bard, Beorn and probably others I’m forgetting. What are your thoughts? PS – Smaug should be a wonder! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/2 "2008-01-04T21:01:15Z")
Geoffrey Rush - Thorin Stephen Frye - Beorn Derek Jacobi - Bilbo Hugh Laurie - Smaug’s voice Ricky Gervais - any one of the other dwarves ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/3 "2008-01-04T21:06:41Z")
Derek Jacobi is too old - what about Bob Hoskins? I was thinking Tom Hollander might be a good choice as well, assuming a 50 year old Bilbo who would look more 35-ish (hobbits do tend to live longer than us Big Folk). Also, you could pad him out for early scenes and actually show him losing weight and getting a little tougher as the story goies on. If you cast a short actor like Hollander for Bilbo, you can cast all your Dwarves 5’10" and taller, avoiding a lot of the height issues for a big chunk of the film. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/4 "2008-01-04T21:14:21Z")
Gimli and the hobbits were all shot at the same scale. Burly Jonathoan Rys-Davies was a head taller than all the svelte hobbits. You pretty much have to cast a short actor to play a hobbit, even if you’re going to shrink him down through special effects a tall guy wouldn’t look proportioned correctly once shrunk. Or you could go straight to Peter Dinklage and shoot him full scale. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/5 "2008-01-04T21:15:11Z")
I’d love to see [Toby Jones](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0429363/) as Bilbo. He’s tiny, has an impish face, and is a fine actor. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/6 "2008-01-04T21:22:48Z")
Although the movie _King Arthur_ was pure crap; As I was watching it I kepp thinking thay Stellan Skarsgård was almost exactly how I had imagined Beorn looking and sounding, albeit Darker hair, and 30% larger. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/7 "2008-01-04T21:29:36Z")
Christopher Walken as Bilbo: “What. Have I got. ::shrug, grimace:: in my pocket?” Schwartenegger as Gollum: “Vaht hahs it gahts in its pohketses? Naht fayah!” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/8 "2008-01-04T21:41:45Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] Hugh Laurie - Smaug’s voice [/QUOTE] Excellent. Would James Earl Jones in that role be too trite? Jack Black – Bombur Brad Pitt – Bard (Heh… Bard Ptit) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/9 "2008-01-04T21:44:15Z")
Peter MacNicol could make a good Hobbit; he’s only an inch taller than Dominic Monaghan. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-hobbit-movie/432311/10 "2008-01-04T21:49:55Z")
Casting this movie is very hard for me except for Gandalf & Gollum. I would vote for a new Elrond, Hugo Weaving was the second worst actor in the Trilogy, only Arwen was worse.