Bust out those hairy feet, guys, and fire up a bowl of pipeweed, because it's time to celebrate as Peter Jackson has finally begun announcing the cast of "The Hobbit."
And while we may not know yet where "The Hobbit" is going to be filmed, thanks to this new report from Deadline we can be sure of one thing: wherever it is, it's going to feel a lot like Great Britain, as Jackson has loaded his cast with top talent from the BBC.
You may recall that yesterday, we told you about the scathing press release where Jackson threw New Zealand under the bus. Well, angry Jackson is gone and happy Jackson is back as the "Lord of the Rings" director threw a love-in to celebrate his new cast, which is headlined by the choice of Martin Freeman ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy") as Bilbo and Richard Armitage ("Captain America") as the dwarven King Under the Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield.
Both Freeman and Armitage, of course, are BBC regulars -- Freeman is known for roles on shows like "Sherlock" and "The Office," while Armitage is best known for "MI-5" and "Robin Hood" -- and they won't be alone, as Jackson also picked a slew of BBC talent to play Thorin's company of dwarves.
To wit: Aidan Turner ("Being Human") and Rob Kazinsky ("EastEnders") will play Kili and Fili; Graham McTavish ("Red Dwarf") will play Dwalin; John Callen ("The Man Who Lost His Head") will play Oin; Stephen Hunter ("All Saints") will play Bombur; Mark Hadlow ("King Kong") will play Dori; and Peter Hambleton ("The Strip") will play Gloin.
Speculation, of course, abounds that Jackson will also be bringing "Doctor Who" headliner and BBC legend David Tennant on board in some capacity, while some cast members from "The Lord of the Rings" -- including Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis as Gandalf and Gollum -- are apparently in talks to reprise their roles. Also rumored to be up for parts: Stephen Fry, Saoirse Ronan and Bill Nighy.
But for today, at least, we can finally stop talking about the cast of "The Hobbit" solely in terms of rumors and begin to imagine what the production might look like once it finally finds a home to spend its $500 million budget in.
Pretty damn awesome.
