Ian Holm will reprise his role as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit

Continuity fans rejoice: Ian Holm will reprise his role as the older Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit .

It's also pleasing news for those who were gutted that Sir Ian wouldn't be digitally de-aged (a la Jeff Bridges in TRON: Legacy ) for the lead role.

Peter Jackson announced the news via his official Facebook page, in response to a barrage of questions that followed the superb production video he posted a week ago.

Apparently fans had been asking about a voice heard in that video, and… well, here's what PJ said in full:

"One comment that came up from the recent video blog was the Bilbo voice at the end—many of you assumed it was Sir Ian Holm.

"Whilst Ian will be returning as the older Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit , that recording was actually Martin Freeman's voice, taken from a script read through we recorded when the cast first arrived.

"I have to admit, I wasn't sure who it was when I first heard it, either. Cheers, Peter J."

It's pretty reassuring that Martin Freeman seems to be doing such a convincingly 'Holmian' Bilbo, further validating his perfectly-cast status.

It's not yet clear if Holm will appear in Part 1 , Part 2 or both.

The Hobbit: Part 1 is set for release in December 2012, and it's jostling with The Dark Knight Rises for the 'most exciting movie in production' crown.

Matt Maytum is the former Editor of Total Film magazine. Over the past decade, Matt has worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.