Frodo Baggins or Elijah Wood as he is known by in this world, spoke to MTV this week and stated who he would like to play Bilbo in the upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit. His choice being Scottish actor and star of The Last King of Scotland and Atonement, James McAvoy.
But surely director Guillermo del Toro and executive producer Peter Jackson have a shortlist of actors they think could play the role? Whether they do or don’t have a list, it’s certainly not something the pair would brandish around the InterWeb willy-nilly.
So with that in mind, here is Pearl & Dean’s shortlist/predictions on which British actors we think could play Bilbo Baggins (if they want to of course!) and hopefully to a standard the late J. R. R. Tolkien would be proud of.
Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman is probably best known for playing Tim in the BBC TV series The Office. But Freeman has appeared in a number of movies over the years including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Hot Fuzz and Nativity! amongst others, but The Hobbit could be the perfect chance to propel Freeman into deserved Hollywood stardom?
Verdict: Would be a great choice and merited opportunity in the spotlight but would he be on the radar of Guillermo del Toro with his lack of big budget movies?
Simon Pegg
Behind James McAvoy, Simon Pegg is second favourite in our eyes. Experience with big budget Hollywood movies, including Star Trek, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People and the soon to be released Tintin movie from director Steven Spielberg. These all definitely adds to his credibility. We hope this is seen as a compliment but Pegg looks the most like Ian Holm from our shortlist ;-)Verdict: Is the most likely actor to be given the role other than McAvoy, and we reckon it would be a popular choice too.
James McAvoy
We've said it before so might as well say it again, James McAvoy is now the firm favourite to be handed the role because of recent web rumours and the Elijah Wood interview. His past experience playing Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia give him the edge over all the other actors in our shortlist. His acting ability showcased via the likes of The Last King of Scotland and Atonement demonstrates that the Scottish born actor could deliver the performance needed.Verdict: Deserved favourite, has all the attributes and acting experience required for such a high profile role, is it just a matter of time before an announcement?
Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen is another British actor that has made a real name for himself on the movie scene with a number of high profile releases. Teen favourite New Moon, football drama The Damned United and Oscar nominated Frost/Nixon has put Sheen on the map. It seems the Welsh actor is another popular choice with even Facebook groups being setup asking for Guillermo del Toro to cast Sheen as Bilbo!Verdict: Maybe he's the joint-second favourite with Pegg, due to his versatility and knock out performances over the years. Whenever Michael Sheen appears on the big screen he always seems to deliver, and we reckon he could do the same as Bilbo.
Ricky Gervais
Ok so even rank outsider is probably too high an odds rating for Ricky Gervais to be offered the role of Bilbo. But ask yourself could it work? Well it would certainly be a role that Gervais hasn't really come close to performing as in the past. It would be interesting to see how he comes across in a non-comedic role.Verdict: Not really much of a chance Ricky Gervais being announced as Bilbo, but you can't argue that it wouldn't be fascinating!
So who do you think will get the role?
Are we missing anyone in our shortlist?
Comment below:
