Jun 12 2009 01:32 PM ET

Guillermo del Toro confirms Hugo Weaving in 'The Hobbit'

Categories: Movie Biz, News

In an interview with BBC Radio 5 (skip to the 02:10:55 mark), director Guillermo del Toro confirmed that Hugo Weaving will reprise his Lord of the Rings role of Elrond in the upcoming Hobbit films. Weaving joins Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Ian McKellen (Gandalf), who will also reappear in the two highly anticipated films, scheduled for a 2011 and 2012 release.

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  • jen

    I didn’t think my anticipation for this movie could get any higher, but it just did. this movie will rock!!

  • B

    Very exciting! Glad to see all three of them want to do it. Can’t want until we hear who will play Bilbo!

  • Martha

    I’m excited, but wondering why they need two films…?

  • joesmom

    Why do they need two films for “The Hobbit”? It wasn’t that long a book, and wasn’t as detailed as “Lord of the Rings”.

  • Bud

    I haven’t heard…Has Viggo Mortensen signed to play Strider (Aragorn) in these films?

  • brandon

    the lord of the rings trilogy was absolutely amazing! I loved every minute of all three films. I hope the hobbit is the same in quality and epic, magical amazement.

  • Jim

    Bud, Aragorn wasn’t in the book, it takes place way before the events of Lord of the Rings. I suggest reading the books, including the Hobbit. Very enjoyable stuff.

  • Bud

    Sorry, Jim, you are most assuredly correct. I was having a brain spasm. I have read all the books, numerous times, about 30 years ago.

  • howditgetburned

    What would a Hobbit movie be without the great Hugo Weaving? Crap, I say.

  • Kelly

    I read somewhere that the script for the Hobbit would include additional scenes only briefly alluded to in the book – mostly involving Gandalf and the White Council battling Sauron (Necromancer). These scenes use the appendices in LOTR as source material. Hence allowing enough content for two films, and potential to feature characters (and actors)from LOTR that do not appear in the book The Hobbit. This includes Galadriel (Blanchet?), Saruman (Lee?) and even Aragorn.

  • hope

    Major Squeal! that’s awesome. Some of the gang together once again in what I think is one the greatest epics in book
    history. I’ve always loved The Hobbit, even better then LOTR.

  • Me

    Awesome! I can’t wait to see it! I love Hugo Weaving! :D

  • carolina

    This news made my day. I can’t wait for this movie. Interested to find out who plays Bilbo and his companions as he travels to deal with the great dragon. I loved the LOTR movies and hope, hope, hope that this will be as good. Makes me want to go re-read the Hobbitt for about the 30th time.

  • Warda

    Still really wish Peter Jackson was directing, but del Toro is an inspired second choice. I wonder who will be cast as Bilbo. How are they going to make this into two movies, anyway?

  • Trajan

    I wish Jackson were directing as well, as his vision for the movie was spot on, but wish he’d stay the heck away from the script. He completely butchered the book-film transition. He made it really pretty and set an amazing atmosphere. But elves fighting at Helms Deep? Really???

  • Josh

    How do you not cast Ian Holm? People who care about this stuff, also care about continuity, lord knows I do. He did such an amazing job as Bilbo, why mess with it.

  • Drew

    Much as I love Ian Holm as an actor, including the “Game, Set, and Match” series, the dude is 78.

  • darclyte

    Geekgasm in 3…2…

  • Erin

    We’d better hope it’s Del Toro that stays the heck away from the script, not Jackson. Jackson made some changes, no doubt about it, but he didn’t masacare the source material the way Del Toro did with Hellboy.

  • Val

    Isn’t Hugo Weaving the guy who played “V” in “V for Vendetta”? If so, I think I’m in love with him.

  • Kris

    This news made my day!!! I just finished reading “The Hobbit” for the first time just a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed every page of it. I’m also a little suprised that they are going to make 2 films out of it. The story is much shorter and much less complex. The book was definitley much easier to read then the trilogy

  • peter

    Whoot!!!

  • peter

    Whoot!!!!

  • kentuckywildcat

    WooHoo!! Hugo has to be Elrond. I’m so excited. This was my favourite book from childhood (I read it for the 1st time at age 12, in 1969, and can’t even count how many times since. It is, conveniently, a book I now teach.) I HATED the animated version years ago and was elated with Jackson’s vision of LOTR. The characters and places looked liked I had imagined them for so long.
    I can’t wait. Still waiting for word on Bilbo. (Of course, his casting is key.)

  • Nerwen Aldarion

    Yeah I’m happy, can’t wait to see this movie. I wonder if they will take the Peter JAckson route with this, Jackson said that if he did The Hobbit that he wanted to include Arwen. I know Tolkein purists would start screaming about that change but I think it is smart since there are virtually NO women in the book and it would be nice to see someone familiar. I hope Aragorn is in it too, he was my favorite character in the movies. Maybe they’ll include Legolas too since Bilbo does go to mirkwook after all.

  • Spider
  • rykscoogan

    Indeed, this is good news. But please – Aragorn was only 10 years old or so when Bilbo passed through Imladris during “The Hobbit.”

  • Pauly

    Jackson has talked about making this two movies. Not only will it be based on “The Hobbit,” but it will include “original” material to bridge “The Hobbit” to LOTR. Likely, the stuff they use in the bridge will be from other Tolkein writings and the appendices of LOTR.
    So it is possible for Aragorn to make an appearance in at least the second movie. Possible? Yes. Likely? Who knows.

  • Celia

    I feel ashamed to admit this, but I never finished reading the Hobbit. But I did read the majority and that was enough to tell me that this movie is going to be AMAZING!! THere are such great visuals and I think Guillermo del Toro is the perfect director to bring it life…especially if we can’t have Peter Jackson. What Guillermo did with Pan’s Labyrinth was SHEER BRILLIANCE! This movie is going to be soooo Great!!

  • Adam
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