Won’t Reveal Who He’s Playing, But It’s Probably Radagast The Brown
Late last summer, actor Sylvester McCoy, probably best known to American audiences for his role on the 1980s version of “Doctor Who,” revealed he was in talks to join “The Hobbit” in an unspecified “wizard” role. Well, speaking to the BBC (via Entertainment Fix), the actor has confirmed that those talks went well and that he has been cast in the film. But he’s keeping mum for now on who he’s playing.
“When they sent out the character description for the part I’m playing, it says he’s between 57 and 75. When it started out I was 57, but it’s taken so long to get to fruition I’m now 75,” the 67-year-old actor joked.
McCoy is no stranger to Peter Jackson. He had auditioned for the role of Bilbo Baggins in the ‘Lord Of The Rings‘ trilogy but lost out to Ian Holm; clearly he left an impression. But don’t ask him to spill on who he’s playing as he’s been sworn to secrecy.
“I can’t say anything! I don’t even know if I’ve said too much already,” he said. “I’ve already got my wrist gently tapped. I just want to tell the world about it… I know it’s all bubbling away and plans are being made.”
And while McCoy won’t say it himself, he’s has long been expected to take the role of Radagast The Brown, the other major wizard part in the story next to Gandalf (who will be reprised by Ian McKellen). The news follows last week’s bit of “The Hobbit” casting info with Swedish media reporting that Mikael Persbrandt had joined as well in an unspecified “Nordic” role. We figured an official announcement regarding McCoy, Persbrandt and others rumored to be joining will be confirmed soon enough.
“The Hobbit” begins lensing in February 2011 and Part 1 will hit in December 2012 with Part 2 landing a year later.
love it
I took them on some sight seeing around Auckland and after the final show took them to a bar called Shanghai Lils. is it downWhen I said I had to go to my talkback radio showis it downIan inquired if they were coming also, and so they did.is it down
Radagast swooped in to save the day and to explain that he'd been sent by Gandalf as his proxy and that he should really be getting back to Anduin, thank you all the same.
Radagast has a slim presence in the story sections of the Hobbit and LOTR, but plays a more prominent role in the appendices and the material from the \”Unfinished Tales\”, both of which Jackson is drawing upon for these two films. So, while a minor role compared to Gandalf, I\’m hoping to get a good dose of Radagast the Brown nonetheless.
As I recall, Radagast appeared in \’The Hobbit\’ during a period where Gandalph was \’away on business\’ and unable to lend his aid when the dwarves (and Bilbo) needed it. Basically, Radagast swooped in to save the day and to explain that he\’d been sent by Gandalf as his proxy and that he should really be getting back to Anduin, thank you all the same, and have a lovely journey.
Not a big part, but one of the only three Wizards we ever see in the books.
From my memory of the Hobbit, Radagast the Brown is only mentioned by Tolken as someone Gandalf talks to once, but it isn\’t really a featured scene in the book. If that is the part he is playing, he\’ll be in the story for two seconds unless they really invent something for Radagast to do. I\’m hoping that he shows up as the Doctor and helps Gandalf fight the Dalek army that attacks the Lonely Mountain at the end of the story. Wait, is that Right?