Over at his official Facebook page Peter Jackson has released an announcement not only confirming that Luke Evans will play Bard and Benedict Cumberbatch will voice Smaug the Dragon but revealing that Evangeline Lilly has also joined as new character, Tauriel. Jackson also announced that Dame Edna Everage's alter ego Barry Humphries will be playing(via motion capture) and voicing the Goblin King..
Here is the announcement in full..
Yikes! I can finally get back to some postings! We’ve finished our first block of shooting and moved straight into location scouting. More on that soon… But today, I’m thrilled to announce two new cast members who will be joining us for our second block of shooting.
Evangeline Lilly will be playing a new character—the Woodland Elf, Tauriel. Her name means ‘daughter of Mirkwood’ and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.) What is not a secret is how talented and compelling an actress Evangeline is; we are thrilled and excited she will be the one to bring our first true Sylvan Elf to life.
I’m also highly excited that Barry Humphries will be portraying the Goblin King, in much the way Andy Serkis created Gollum. Barry is perhaps best known for his business and social connections as the long-time manager of Dame Edna Everage. He has also been an ardent supporter of the rather misunderstood and unfairly maligned Australian politician, Sir Les Patterson. However, in his spare time, Barry is also a fine actor, and we’re looking forward to seeing him invest the Goblin King with the delicate sensitivity and emotional depth this character deserves.
Evangeline and Barry, along with Welsh actor Luke Evans as Bard and Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug, just about rounds out the major casting. I cannot wait to get stuck into these new scenes!
More soon, including a flurry of answers to your questions. Sorry for the delay!
Cheers,
Peter J
Speculation has arisen that this new character could be the Elf king Thranduil's daughter, making she and Legolas brother and sister but it's just that, speculation. Personally I don't mind at all that Jackson is bringing in a new character. The movie was pretty much a sausage fest with Cate Blanchet as Galadriel being the only female cast member up until now. And Lilly is a fine actress, in every sense of the word. Can't wait to see how she looks with some pointy ears!
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