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James McAvoy
Why him? He’s been a rumoured favourite for ages, with lots of sources claiming “studio bosses” want him.
Of course, it’s all been so much chaff in the wind to date, but he does have fantasy film experience (in The Chronicles Of Narnia) and he can pull off a convincing English accent despite his Scots burr.
There’s a reason he’s rumoured so much – he’s great and would be a superb Bilbo.
Why not him? He’s also a busy working actor – would he have the time to commit to such a huge project?
We’d like to think he’d agree to work with Guillermo del Toro, but unlike the largely unknown LOTR cast, he’s a man in demand.
Entirely Unscientific Holm-Alike-O-Meter: ****
Colm Meaney
Why him? A character actor who blends into his roles, he’s been doing solid work for years – appearing in everything from The Commitments to various Star Trek spin-offs on telly.
He was most recently seen as Don Revie in The Damned United, and always brings something great to each role.
He’s got a touch of the Holm about him and could pull off the accent with ease.
Why not him? Chances are Guillermo del Toro will be looking for a younger actor.
Even given the Hobbit aging quirks (Bilbo is 51 in the book), he’s likely too old at 56 to make the cut. Which is a shame, since he’s great and would be a decidedly ballsy choice.
Entirely Unscientific Holm-Alike-O-Meter: ****
Martin Freeman
Why him? He’s got a definite Holms-ian look about him, and he’s got effects experience thanks to his work on Hitchhikers.
He doesn’t have a load of dramatic work under his belt, but this could be just the project to let him show some range. Plus, he’s still not exactly a huge star so Guillermo del Toro could secure his services for less than, say Daniel Radcliffe.
Why not him? Like we said, he hasn’t exactly proved himself as a dramatic actor, and he might not have made del Toro’s radar.
Chances are he’ll stay more in the realms of fan speculation – but stranger things have happened…
Entirely Unscientific Holm-Alike-O-Meter: ***
Jack Black
Why him? No, really… He’s been one of the bigger rumours.
And while it seems a little far fetched (a movie rumour? Far fetched? Shurely shome mishtake!), he does have form with Peter Jackson after a decent turn in King Kong.
And anyone who thinks he’ll get to play yet another variant on his Tenacious D wild man, think again – he kept it buttoned down for Jackson and del Toro wouldn’t let him go nuts as Bilbo.
Why not him? Though he was okay in King Kong, we’re not sure he’s quite got the range to pull off a young Holm performance.
Plus, he doesn’t really look the part and the accent’s not always up to scratch, so we’d have to take a pass on this one.
Entirely Unscientific Holm-Alike-O-Meter: **
Ewan McGregor
Why him? It wouldn’t be his first time playing the younger version of a character in a major genre franchise (for the benefit of both people who haven’t twigged, we mean Obi Wan Kenobi).
And McGregor’s a solid, proven talent with bags of ability mixed with a seriously dodgy recent choice of films (Deception?) that means he could do with a kudos boost.
He’s also a name that could help sell the movie.
Why not him? We’re not sure The Hobbit needs big names (it already has its own title, del Toro and Peter Jackson to help pimp it to a wider cinema-going crowd).
And it might be too distracting to see an established actor in the role – he’s been at this job longer than the likes of McAvoy.
Entirely Unscientific Holm-Alike-O-Meter : ****
Deep Roy
Why him? Budgetary issues. With Roy on board, there’s no need to hire someone to play him at Hobbit height, since he’s made a career out of his diminutive size.
He’s also got bags of experience (did you know he was in The NeverEnding Story? And Return Of The Jedi? It’s true), is a great performer and brings genre credibility that del Toro would adore.
Why not him? One of the most fun elements of watching The Lord Of The Rings films is keeping an eye out for the bits where Jackson has shrunk full-size actors down to Hobbit-size - we're pretty sure that GDT wouldn't want to rob us of that joy.
Also, like Meany, Roy is bang on for Bilbo's book age (he's 52) but probably too old for today's Twitter kids to identify with. Despite the fact that most of them follow Stephen Fry.
Entirely Unscientific Holm-Alike-O-Meter: **
Ian Holm + CGI
Why him? Um… Because he’s Ian Holm? Surely that’s the only real qualification he needs.
Look, if fellow LOTR star Ian McKellen and thesping mate Patrick Stewart can look younger in X3 and Wolverine thanks to some digi-tinkering then surely the geniuses at Peter Jackson’s Weta company could pull off the same trick.
That way, we’d get Holm as Bilbo and the continuity would be perfect.
Why not him? So far, the CG trickery has been less than convincing. Plastic, even.
While we’re pretty sure Weta could do a better job, we’re also unsure if he’d be up for the role, given that it would mean being a lot more active than his past Bilbo work. No sitting around surrounded by elves this time around. Well, not as much…
Entirely Unscientific Holm-Alike-O-Meter: *****
