The Hobbit (film series) appearing in "The Hobbit" films. In early October 2010, it was confirmed by the studio that Martin Freeman had been cast in the role of Bilbo Baggins. It was revealed that he had earlier been approached by the producers to play a role in the films, but was forced to turn it down because of scheduling conflicts with the BBC television series "Sherlock". At the time, Freeman was quoted as saying, "[I]f something could be worked out, that would be great. I did it [turned down the role] with a heavy heart, definitely." On his casting, Peter Jackson was quoted
Bilbo Baggins oldest Hobbit ever in Middle-earth. (The natural lifespan of Hobbits is about 100 years.) According to Appendix C of "The Lord of the Rings", Bilbo was born to Bungo Baggins and Belladonna Took in , or S.R. 1290. "The Lord of the Rings" gives the date of Bilbo's birthday as 22 September, but the actual date in the Shire calendar was Halimath 22; Tolkien tells us in Appendix D that he "used our modern names" for the months "to avoid confusion, while the seasonal implications of our names are more or less the same", so that Halimath is translated as