Guillermo Del Toro has revealed that he and Peter Jackson have agreed onward a first-choice actor to play Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming Hobbit films.
The Pan’s Labyrinth monitor was named during the allotted period that the chosen director to take JRR Tolkien’s novel to the conceal earlier this month and he is to produce sum of two units films tied to the book, with Jackson on executive producing duties.
And after Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis committed to reprising their Lord of the Rings role as Gandalf and Gollum respectively, Del Toro has admitted that he and the Kiwi helmer have agreed upon their ideal unusual to take down the lead role of Bilbo.
Speaking to Empire magazine, Del Toro confirmed that the character of Bilbo will be based on Ian Holm’s portrayal of the hobbit in Jackson’s Oscar-winning trilogy, even though the British actor himself will not take the role as such.
"We are writing based on [Ian Holm’s performance], but other than that, we have ideas [of who could play him]," he explained.
"I can tell you that it’s down to a hardly any names that we all agree upon.
"And that our first choice… completely, magically, we said the same name. All of us!"
However, with the script for the first of the two films still to be written by Del Toro, Jackson and Philippa Boyens, Tolkien fans resolution have to wait "at least a year" before any casting announcements are made.
Del Toro’s talk with the film magazine followed a webchat in which he and Jackson took part for wetanz.com, the fan site for the especial effects residence responsible for the stunning visuals of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films.
The pair revealed some choice minor circumstances about their plans for the two films, including the go of Howard Shore as score composer, the use of New Zealand as a primary location, and the confirmation that film two will most likely focus on "one short section of time" in the 60 years that elapse between the conclusion of The Hobbit and the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring.