The Hobbit now has reportedly gotten a new cast member that may make science fiction fans rather happy. Scottish actor, Sylvester McCoy has reportedly been cast in the upcoming two-parter. While McCoy may not be someone who is immediately recognizable to American audiences, fans of the British television series "Doctor Who" might know him as the seventh incarnation of the doctor (who had his run between 1987 and 1989).
Screenrush quoted a source which states that he will be playing the film's "second biggest lead". Many people (such as those over at The One Ring.Net) seem to be taking this quote as meaning that McCoy will be playing Bilbo Baggins, it would seem unlikely that the source would refer to Bilbo as the film's second fiddle (since the book is essentially Bilbo's memoirs). Perhaps the reports that he will be playing Bilbo come from a bit of wishful thinking, combined with the fact that Screenrush has also stated that he was the runner up to play Bilbo for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It seems to be a rather hasty (as Treebeard would say) assumption concerning his involvement in the film. Instead, couldn't the quote be referring to him playing Thorin Oakenshield? As far as the text is concerned, Thorin is the second most import person in the company (aside from Bilbo himself). He is a dwarvish king, after all. So, maybe we should be looking for him to play a dwarf, instead of a hobbit when (or even if) the films are finally released into theaters.
And even with all of the buzz about him playing a role in the film, there is still no official word from anyone who is actually involved in the production. Even McCoy's agent isn't giving out any details on whether or not he has been cast, and is only stating "no comment" when asked about it.
Comments
You have a point about the second most important character. Thorin Oakenshield sounds much more like who he will play. Since the story is from Bilbo's POV, he would be the most important character in the film. But he does seem like a good fit for Bilbo as far as looks go. So, either way would be a good thing.
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