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
The Hobbit that has been accepted into mainstream literature, alongside Jostein Gaarder's "Sophie's World" (1991) and J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series (1997–2007). Tolkien intended "The Hobbit" as a "fairy-story" and wrote it in a tone suited to addressing children although he said later that the book was not specifically written for children but had rather been created out of his interest in mythology and legend. Many of the initial reviews refer to the work as a fairy story. However, according to Jack Zipes writing in "The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales", Bilbo is an atypical character for a fairy tale. The