He'd make a great Bilbo...

[White Gull]

I'd love to see Ewan McGregor in the role of Bilbo in the Hobbit Movie. But then, I had to laugh when realized he'd REALLY be very adept at the job, as he's already taken on the role of playing a younger version of a famous British actor. A "Sir," even.

What are your ideas of a cast? (Funny, or serious)

WG

 

[Curious]

and not to stop the ongoing conversation in any way, here's a previous thread addressing this question:

http://newboards.theonering.net/forum/gforum/perl/gforum.cgi?do%3Dpost_view_threaded%3Bpost_latest_reply%3Bso%3DASC%3Bpost%3D31575=View+Threaded

Personally, I don't know today's actors well enough to cast The Hobbit. But I do hope Bilbo looks older than thirty. Forty would be okay, since hobbits do not age as quickly as we do in the Primary World. Okay, I've got a funny suggestion: a relatively short actor in his forties -- how about Tom Cruise?!? It would certainly be a change of direction for him!

 

[Patty]

Tom Cruise? To quote a recent conspiracy unmasked: "No, thank you!"

I'm still thinking Tom Hollander could be great here, as I said in the thread you linked.

 

[White Gull]

I'm also seriously challenged at searches. I did try, and overlooked that thread! Thanks for the link.

Heh, I have another suggestion: James Earl Jones as the voice of Smaug.

 

[Curious]

Although maybe both voices are too recognizable.

 

[stormcrow20]

I love both Jones and Rickman....but when I hear their voices I see Vader and Snape. Hopefully they will find someone equally talented, someone that from then on we will assoiciate just as instantly with Smaug.

 

[White Gull]

Both have impressive voices. There's probably a lot of others, too, not to mention Connery. It will be fun to see who gets the role.

 

[Patty]

Or someone else already in the cast. I'd dearly love to know why they used JRD for Treebeard. Anyone with a halfway decent ear for voices could tell that was him--not that he didn't do a good job, but it's just that it was Gimli doing Treebeard. It worked for Andy Serkis cause Gollum was Smeagol. It worked using Hugo to say Isildur's one line of "No" cause it was just one word. But I found it very distracting to hear Gimli saying Treebeard's lines.

So, now for something completely different. Eric Idle? []

 

[Darkstone]

And Eartha Kitt as Smaug.

 

[Elizabeth]

as I've said in at least a dozen or so similar threads here.

I guess this is giving us latecomers a taste of the fevered speculation in the early days of the LotR movies, except that nowadays we have much longer (ever since 2003, at least, and who knows how long in the future!) to speculate, as well as a well-formed community and forum to do it in!

 

[Annael]

Martin Freeman for Bilbo! I think he'd be perfect. Much as I loved Sir Ian Holm's portrayal (which was the closest of all the actors' work to my own idea of the character), I think he's too old (he's 76 now) to play the younger Bilbo.

as for the rest:

Gandalf - Sir Ian M, of course
Thorin Oakenshield - Robbie Coltrane (he'd probably like the change from being a giant)
The Trolls - Nick Frost, Eddie Izzard, Sacha Baron Cohen
The Great Goblin - Ross Kemp
Beorn - Liam Neeson
King Thranduil - Julian Sands
Bard the Bowman - Ray Stevenson

 

[GaladrielTX]

 

[Elizabeth]

 

[RosieLass]

Ugh. No Tom Cruise, please!

 

[grammaboodawg]

There've been a lot of possibilities floating around out there. I like Shia Lebouf, myself or Rupert Evans from Hellboy

I also like Jeremy Irons for the voice of Smaug. He can sound soooooo slithery!

 

[Elven]

I has to be Sir Ian, I cant imagine watching the Hobbit and then LoTR and trying to explain to everyone else - whi Bilbo is ...
and ... old? never too old!!! He has the best team for a makeover in the world at his disposal with WETA ... they could turn him into a baby if they had too ..
Even if somewhere along the line they show him growing up over the years - other actors fine, but it has to be Ian for me ...

I cant imagine what the LoTR would be like with a change of cast during the movies ....
or - say if they had replaced Danielle Radcliffe as Harry Potter ... the list goes on ...

Ack!! I can hear critics in 20 years time saying ... I have no idea why that did that .... especially if you watch the Hobbit before seeing LoTR ... its just a weird concept to me not have Sir Ian Holms ... I'm not sure why everyone is so eager (seemingly anyway) to replace him as Bilbo?

That is unless he refuses to do it ... havent heard much from ol Bilbo these days ...
Maybe he's the next one to make a comment ...
[]

 

[Patty]

his voice is maybe not deep enough to be Smaug. Thranduil, maybe?

 

[grammaboodawg]

He was the voice of Sam in the BBC adaptation IIRC! It would be great fun for him to be there... as, uhhhh, Thorin would be good. His voice in PotC II & III shows he can deliver great disdain and fascinating tones. That would be great!