The Hobbit (film series) as saying, "Despite the various rumours and speculation surrounding this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us. There are a few times in your career when you come across an actor who you know was born to play a role, but that was the case as soon as I met Martin Freeman. He is intelligent, funny, surprising and brave—exactly like Bilbo and I feel incredibly proud to be able to announce that he is our Hobbit." Later in October, it was revealed that several other cast members had joined the project, including Richard Armitage as Thorin
Middle-earth in film completed what Bakshi had started with their own animated adaptation of "The Return of the King", based on their own concepts previously applied to their earlier animated adaptation of "The Hobbit". The first live-action film depicting characters and stories of Middle-earth was shown in 1985 in the Soviet Union. "Skazochnoye puteshestviye mistera Bilbo Begginsa Khobbita" () [The Fabulous Journey of Mr. Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit] was a film based on the events of "The Hobbit". Shot in 1984 as a teleplay and produced in the framework of the children's TV series "Tale after Tale" (), it featured actors such as