Article
Stephen Fry masters Peter Jackson's Hobbit
Comedian Stephen Fry cast as Master of Laketown in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings prequel
Master stroke of casting ... Stephen Fry joins the cast of The Hobbit. Photograph: Jonathan Hordle/Rex Features
Stephen Fry has been cast as a mayor in The Hobbit movies being made in New Zealand by Peter Jackson, a move widely cheered by fans of the British comedian, actor and writer. Filming began in March on the two long-awaited movies after the project narrowly avoided being moved out of New Zealand, with Lord of the Rings director Jackson at the helm again. Fry will play the Master of Laketown, Jackson said on his Facebook page. The character is said to be smart, but greedy and deceptive. "In addition to his writing skills, he's a terrific actor and will create a very memorable Master for us," Jackson added.
Jackson also announced that Ryan Gage will play the mayor's servant, Alfrid, after being originally cast in a more minor role, while Conan Stevens from the American medieval fantasy TV series Game of Thrones, who is 2.13 metres (seven feet) tall, will play an Orc called Azog.
More than 3,000 people on Facebook said they "liked" the announcement, with many especially cheering the choice of Fry. "Genius. The Hobbit is going to be filled with people you love and admire, hello Stephen Fry!" wrote one.
The cast also includes Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Ken Stott, and Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins. Jackson said the cast and some of the film crew will soon be taking a break on the filming of the two movies, which started in late March. "As we near the end of our first shooting block we are looking at characters featuring in sequences that take place a little later in the story," he added.
The first of the two movies will be released in December 2012 and the second is expected a year later. The Hobbit is based on the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who lives in the land of Middle-earth and goes on a quest to find treasure guarded by a dragon.
The book, first published in 1937, is the precursor to the The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which also takes place in Middle-earth and Jackson turned into a hit Oscar-winning series.
The Hobbit movies have been beset by a succession of problems, most notably the threat last year by Warner Bros to move production overseas because of fears unions would impose a boycott to back demands for a collective contract.
Fry and Jackson are also co-operating on a script for a remake of the classic British war movie, The Dam Busters, about a raid on hydro-dams in Germany in the second world war, Jackson said.
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User Comments
num5
20 May 2011 11:05AM
His mocking of a Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivor on BBC seems so far away now, after the earthquake and all.
ParisMeakin
20 May 2011 11:07AM
If they gave out an award for most popular man on the planet I think he would win but refuse to accept it.
Yet 50% of these posted comments do not like the man... and FYI Santa Claus is the most popular person ever! <3
ParisMeakin
20 May 2011 11:08AM
My mistake nun5 posted before mine went through, so that makes 66% of those making a comment dislikers.
BruceTenmile
20 May 2011 11:15AM
His mocking of a Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivor on BBC seems so far away now, after the earthquake and all
They mentioned Tsutomu Yamaguchi and the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the humour was not derived from making fun of the man, rather that the trains were up and running the very next day, which is something which would never happen here. The only mocking was directed at the British Transport System.
In instances like you, I always wonder how many people actually watched the episode and how many just get all hot and bothered the moment they hear 'Hiroshima'.
ParisMeakin
20 May 2011 11:39AM
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fandango87
20 May 2011 2:31PM
I have no quarrels with Fry at all, he seems a nice enough chap. However I smell a disaster ahead with this film.
Naturally I want to be proven wrong.
R042
20 May 2011 4:28PM
@spasuit - Why?
Don't presume to slight a man without justifying your position.
DyslexicAunt
20 May 2011 8:29PM
Ubiquitous brand Fry is as superfluous and dull as the sycophantic idolatry exhibited here and elsewhere - about this most ordinary, in a pejorative sense, of 'talents' - is vomit indusing.
Mel84
20 May 2011 10:33PM
As a fan of both Tolkien and Fry I was delighted at the casting news. I'm sure he'll be an excellent addition to a cast that is looking quite promising already.
The good thing that came out of all the delays is probably that Peter Jackson decided to direct it after all. I still salute him and his team for bringing The Lord of the Rings to screen so brilliantly. They treated the material with such care and love that I'm sure they'll be able to achieve the same with the Hobbit.
On a side note: Peter Jackson's involvement on Facebook is great. It's nice to see him using this medium and allowing the fans a glimpse at the work in progress. To me it shows he understands the importance of the millions of people who love the book.
3keybob
21 May 2011 1:00AM
The saddest thing about this story is that on the BBC website The Hobbit is described as The "Lord of the Rings prequel".
Sometimes it is best just to read the book
otmshank
22 May 2011 6:37AM
Oh No! Hope he doesn't ruin the film with his condescending demeanour, especially that air of an ignorant man who thinks he knows everything.
He does not (cannot?) play any other role than as himself.
NiklasLuhmann
22 May 2011 9:49AM
It's good that Peter Jackson recognises Stephen Fry's writing skills. How wonderful it would be if Jackson emulated the producers of Touch of Evil and let him write the whole script and also direct The Hobbit. Jackson is a great producer: what else can one say of someone who managed to get the suits to cough up not just for one 3-hours-plus movie, but three! However, he is an utterly hopeless director. Time after time in LOTR he destroys key moments by giving in to the childish temptation to maximise thrills whenever possible: examples include his portrayal of Frodo's enthrallment to the power of the ring as absolute right from the start, leaving no room for this key structuring element to develop over time, and also making it clear that Balin and the other dwarves were all dead when Gandalf et al. enter Moria, destroying the wonderfully poignant: "he is dead then; I feared it was so". There are many more examples. Furthermore, his script for LOTR was probably the worst ever written. In simple terms, he defiled Lord of the Rings. It would be great if, at the eleventh hour, someone could rescue The Hobbit from a similar fate. It deserves better.
dowland
22 May 2011 11:27AM
Stephen Fry has been cast as a mayor in The Hobbit movies being made in New Zealand by Peter Jackson, a move widely cheered by fans of the British comedian, actor and writer
...and has inspired a creeping sense of unease in those who've yet to be convinced that Stephen Fry can act.
Don't get me wrong - i think he's a lovely, witty, charming man. He's very funny in over-the-top comedies like Blackadder, where the acting style is closer to music hall or Monty Python panto. Certainly no one can make a sheeplike b-a-a-a-ing noise like him. But acting? We'll see.
SpangleJ
22 May 2011 11:24PM
I find myself wondering how, in filming, they are going to pull off the travels of band of 12 dwarves. That is, after all, what the book is about. I just can't see, narratively or visually how this is going to work. LOTR was a very different undertaking all together. In the book the dwarves are not really characterised - one is fat, one is pompous, the twins are the youngest, that's about it. I'll be fascinated to see how it works out.
wallydonuts
23 May 2011 10:18AM
Stephen Fry really epitomizes the talentless drivel that the BBC continues to blast out in a very much like runny faeces style. I say this not because of Hiroshima, just because he’s a cultural limpet.
Youbloodydidwhat
20 May 2011 10:33AM
If they gave out an award for most popular man on the planet I think he would win but refuse to accept it.