Here’s something interesting: At the end of an interview with Simon Pegg in yesterday’s Observer newspaper in the UK, it appears that Pegg confirms a rumor about his friend, actor Martin Freeman:
And he enjoys a good giggle on relating the news that Martin Freeman has been cast in the lead role in The Hobbit, the prospect of his friend having to endure the sci-fi convention circuit absolutely delighting him. “Martin’s the anti-me: a soul aficionado and a vinyl junkie – absolutely not a resident of the geek universe. Not the type of person who will relish the attention he’ll get for being Bilbo Baggins. Ha!”
Note that it’s Pegg who’s the one sharing the news, which is clearly referred to as “the news” and not “the rumor.” Is this unofficial confirmation that Freeman has the lead in Peter Jackson’s finally-confirmed The Hobbit movies? If so, it’s a good choice; Freeman, who came to fame in the original British version of The Office, has flirted with geek fame already in the movie version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and the BBC/PBS co-production Sherlock, but this will undoubtedly be the role to push him over the edge of mainstream adoration.
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