Peter Jackson has confirmed that Dean O'Gorman will replace Rob Kazinsky in his forthcoming adaptation of The Hobbit.
The Oscar-winning director announced via Facebook that the coveted role of Fili had been awarded to O'Gorman, a relative unknown recently seen in comedy drama series The Almighty Johnsons, following Kazinsky's departure earlier this month.
The ex-Eastenders actor cited a "health issue" as the reason behind his exit from the J.R.R. Tolkien epic, which had already started production in New Zealand.
Further elaborating on the casting news, Jackson stated in his online message: "Dean's a terrific Kiwi actor, who I am thrilled to be working with. He's recently been in an excellent TV series down here called The Almighty Johnsons, and I should let fans of that show know that our shooting schedule allows Dean to continue with a second series next year. Dean will be joining us next week."
He also revealed that Pushing Daisies actor Lee Pace had been cast as Elven King Thranduil, adding: "Casting these Tolkien stories is very difficult, especially the Elven characters, and Lee has always been our first choice for Thranduil.
"He's going to be great. We loved his performance in a movie called The Fall a few years ago, and have been hoping to work with him since. When we were first discussing who would be right for Thranduil, Lee came into mind almost immediately."
Part One of The Hobbit is due to hit cinemas in December 2012
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