Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman in BBC's
Elementary
5. Two of the biggest roles in the new trilogy -- the titular Bilbo Baggins and the dragon Smaug -- were handed out to two actors who have great familiarity with one another: Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch. On the hit BBC television show "Sherlock," Cumberbatch plays an updated version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes; Freeman plays his sidekick Dr. John Watson. In "The Hobbit," Cumberbatch also plays the role of the mysterious Necromancer, while serving double duty as the performance capture actor helping to bring Smaug to terrifying life.
[Related: Weekend Picks -- 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey']
For a more in-depth look at "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," check out our Insider Access video below where, among other highlights, Jackson, McKellen, Freeman and Andy Serkis (as Gollum!) tell me the differences between orcs, goblins, and trolls. Oh my!
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