The last bit of casting news out of Hobbiton that we brought you was the since debunked rumor that Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Hanna) had been cast in director Peter Jackson‘s return to middle earth with The Hobbit: Part 1, rumored to be playing the part of Itaril, a Silvan Elf. We still think that one may end up being true, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Now, Variety reports that Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords) has been officially cast in the film as Lindir, an Elf of Rivendell. McKenzie made brief appearances as an extra in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [see below] in which he achieved fan fame on the Internet with the fan-created nickname “Figwit.”
The Hobbit: Part 1 is currently slated to hit theaters December 2012.
The Hobbit: Part 2 is currently slated to hit theaters December 2013.
The films star Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchette, Elijah Wood, Sylvester McCoy, Christopher Lee, Aidan Turner, Rob Kazinsky, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Ken Stott, Mikael Persbrandt, Ryan Gage, Jed Brophy, William Kircher and Stephen Hunter.