As promised, New Line Cinema has
officially posted a (sort of) complete cast list at the movie's official Web site,
www.lordoftherings.net, filling in a number of the remaining holes in the project's
sprawling dramatis personae. A number of roles key to the second and third films in the
planned trilogy are apparently still up in the air, but there's now plenty of fodder for
water cooler casting debates until additional announcements are made.
Topping the latest casting call is
Oscar-nominee Cate Blanchett. The Aussie actress, who burst onto the scene last year as Elizabeth's
ball-breaking Virgin Queen, will get to strut her regal bearing once more as Lady
Galadriel, high elf and ruler with the Lord Celeborn of the enchanted woodland realm of
Lothlorien.
John Rhys-Davies, probably best known for playing
Indy's pal Sallah in both Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade, has been cast as Gimli, a dwarf of the Lonely Mountain and companion of the
hobbit Frodo. As with Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, who play Frodo and his servant Samwise,
Rhys-Davies will likely be digitally shrunk to suit his character's not-quite-human
dimensions.
Sean Bean will play the role of Boromir, a human
warrior and Captain of Gondor who likewise accompanies Frodo on his quest. Bean has been
most noted in the past for playing villainous roles, including that of a terrorist who
menaces Harrison Ford in Patriot Games and a turncoat 00-agent who battles Pierce
Brosnan's James Bond in GoldenEye.
Brad Dourif, whose career began with a supporting
role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest and who is probably best known for voicing
demon doll Chucky in all four Child's Play films, will play Grima Wormtongue, a
treacherous adviser to King Theoden of Rohan. (It had originally been speculated that Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine's Jeffrey Combs was the frontrunner for that role.)
Three little-known European actors will also play
key roles: Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan will play the hobbits Pippin and Merry, and
Orlando Bloom will play the elven prince Legolas. All three are members of the nine-man
fellowship — also including the human lord Aragorn, the wizard Gandalf, and Gimli and
Boromir — that initially sets out with Frodo and Sam on the quest to destroy the One
Ring.
Previously announced castings officially confirmed
yesterday by New Line include:
- Elijah Wood, as the hobbit Frodo Baggins
- Sean Astin, as the hobbit Samwise Gamgee
- Sir Ian McKellen, as the wandering wizard Gandalf the
Grey
- Sir Ian Holm, as the hobbit Bilbo Baggins
- Stuart Townsend, as the roving ranger and royal heir
Aragorn
- Liv Tyler, as the elven lady Arwen
- Christopher Lee, as the rogue wizard Saruman the
White
Key roles yet to be cast include those of: Faramir,
Boromir's brother; King Theoden of Rohan; Eowyn, Theoden's niece; Eomer, Theoden's nephew;
Elrond Half-elven, the lord of Rivendell; Denethor, Steward of Minas Tirith; and Gollum, a
hobbit-like being who possessed the One Ring for many years and was twisted by it. Of
those folks, only Gollum and Elrond figure prominently in The Fellowship of the Ring,
the first of the planned three films.
Spouses Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman have reportedly
been considered for the roles of, respectively, Faramir and Eowyn; and it's believed
director Jackson and crew will largely create the character of Gollum using special
effects.
Jackson co-adapted the project's screenplay with
longtime collaborator Fran Walsh and writers Philippa Boyens and Stephen Sinclair. The
Fellowship of the Ring was initially believed to be due in theaters next Christmas,
but Entertainment Weekly recently reported that the first film in the trilogy will
not arrive until Christmas 2001.