News from Middle Earth: Barry Humphries, Evangeline Lilly, Empire Magazine Cover

Barry Humphries cast in The Hobbit
Barry Humphries – he looks nothing like Dame Edna!

More Hobbity news from my Kiwi friend, Melanie McMinn, who blogs at Frugal Kiwi and is an absolute wizard with DIY projects and back-to-basics living.

She sent along a note that Australian actor Barry Humphries, best known for cross-dressing as Dame Edna, will play the CGI-ifized Goblin King, as reported in the New Zealand Herald.

I agree with Melanie — the image of Dame Edna in ‘The Hobbit’ is a hoot. Yeah, we know he won’t BE Dame Edna in the movie, but still… You might also recognize Humphries’ voice as Bruce the Shark in ‘Finding Nemo.’

Evangeline Lilly cast in The Hobbit
Evangeline Lilly as an elf? Pop some ears on her and she's good to go.

Also new in the cast is Evangeline Lilly, best known as Kate/Freckles on ‘[amazon_link id=”B0036EH3WK” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Lost[/amazon_link].’ She’ll play a new character — a Woodland Elf named Tauriel.

Evangeline DOES have an elf quality to her, so I think that’s a good fit. But wait, didn’t she say she was quitting acting after ‘Lost’? Hmmm, I guess not. All the better for us ‘Hobbit’ fans.

Welsh actor Luke Evans, who played Apollo in 2010’s ‘Clash of the Titans’ (many apologies for bringing up that movie) will play Bard.

With the first round of shooting over, director Peter Jackson — uh, excuse me, that would be SIR Peter Jackson — has started scouting locations for the second block of shooting. The movie began filming in New Zealand in March and recently added Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug.

And this just in! Check out the cover for Empire Magazine. Those guys are the bomb for jumping on stuff first. Love it.

Empire Magazine, The Hobbit cover

Comments

13 responses to “News from Middle Earth: Barry Humphries, Evangeline Lilly, Empire Magazine Cover”

  1. NoPotCoooking Avatar

    I have never seen Dame Edna not as Dame Edna! Very strange!

  2. Melanie Avatar

    Oooh, thanks for putting up the Empire cover. How can you not love the shot of Gandalf?

  3. Roxanne Hawn ( Avatar

    Hmm … From #Lost to Hobbit? RT @reellifejane #Hobbit casting new, including Evangeline Lilly. http://t.co/ZYnN81b #middleearth #nz

  4. Roxanne Avatar

    As soon as I heard about Evangeline Lilly I just KNEW she’d be cast as an Elf. She definitely has a Elf vibe about her. Good for her.

  5. Kris Avatar

    I want to read this again before I see the movie – it’s been too long!

    1. Jane Boursaw Avatar

      Same here, Kris. Maybe we should form a Hobbit reading club or something.

  6. MyKidsEatSquid Avatar

    She does have en elf vibe. Is Liv Tyler part of the cast or no?

    1. Jane Boursaw Avatar

      Hmmm, good question. I don’t believe Liv Tyler — who played Arwen — has been cast in either of the Hobbit movies yet. But her dad, Elrond (Hugo Weaving), is already cast in both movies. Anyone know whether Arwen shows up in The Hobbit (either the book or the movie)?

  7. Jennifer Margulis Avatar

    Thanks for the update (I’m a huge fan of Melanie’s Frugal Kiwi as well!)

  8. merr Avatar
    merr

    That is QUITE the cover!!

    1. Bianca Avatar
      Bianca

      yeah she’s right…it looks like she just got out of bed and she looks amazing.

  9. […] (a.k.a. Spooks) or in the TV series Robin Hood as Guy of Gisborne. He’s currently filming The Hobbit here in New Zealand, playing Thorin Oakenshield. It’s a CRIME to put dwarf make-up on that […]

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