A few weeks ago borg.com previewed several great photos that Warner Brothers released from next year’s highly anticipated 2012 release The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  The film will be the first of a two-part movie adaptation of the first book of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien and follow-up to the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings series.  Since then Warner Brothers released two of the dwarfs not posted here, Nalin and Dwalin:

With those cloven-toed boots, red coat and white beard, Balin looks like a certain jolly old elf as opposed to a Tolkien dwarf.  But we like it!

Then, after several fans attempted to circulate a similar image, Warner Brothers compiled the dwarf cast costume images into this great poster:

How would you like this group dropping in for lunch?  The dwarf cast and characters are (left to right): Jed Brophy (Hercules, Xena, District 9) as Nori, Dean O’Gorman (Hercules, Xena, Legend of the Seeker) as Fili, Mark Hadlow (Xena, King Kong) as Dori, James Nesbitt (Young Indiana Jones, Waking Ned Devine, The Deep, Monroe) as Bofur, Peter Hambleton as Gloin, Graham McTavish (Red Dwarf, Lost, 24) as Dwalin, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, Ken Stott (King Arthur, Chronicles of Narnia) as Balin, John Callen as Oin, Stephen Hunter as Bombur, William Kircher (Xena, Legend of the Seeker) as Bifur, Adam Brown as Ori, and Aidan Turner (Being Human) as Kili. (Photo by James Fisher).

Then, Warner Brothers released this great shot of Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield top of post), with trusty sword Orcrist (wouldn’t it have been great if that naming of weapons/tools convention had caught on?).

Close-up from the full cast shot:

If Armitage sounds familiar, it may be because he played Guy Gilborne in the BBC TV series, Robin Hood.

Robin Hood had a great run, in part because Armitage played the villain so well, often upstaging the Sheriff of Nottingham.  With they way the production has created his make-up and warrior costume, he looks pretty convincing.  Armitage most recently appeared as the vile Heinz Kruger in Captain America: The First Avenger, reviewed here Monday.  He also appeared in the Vicar of Dibley and as an unnamed Naboo fighter pilot in Star Wars: the Phantom Menace (in good company with Keira Knightley, who also had a small role in the film).  For those Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon players, you’ll have yet another bridge between the Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings franchises.

Keep an eye out for more releases of photos from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

C.J. Bunce

Editor

borg.com