Corona | Coming Attractions

When one thinks of Scottish comedian/actor Billy Connolly, one typically doesn't imagine him as standing somewhere between 3 and 4-foot-tall. Nevertheless, Connolly will appear as a warrior from the race of Middle-earth's dwarves in the pair of The Hobbit movies, now currently shooting in New Zealand under the director of Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings).

Connolly's character is named Dain Ironfoot. He's a cousin to Thorin Oakenshield (played in the films by Richard Armitage), and Dain is also considered a mighty warrior by his people.

"We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connelly, the Big Yin himself," said the director in a studio issued press release. "With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the Battlefield!"

That cast that Jackson now considered to be "full" is quite a big one. In addition to the 12 actors playing the dwarves that go off adventuring with the young Bilbo (played by Sherlock's Martin Freeman), several characters from Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy are also making appearances in the Hobbit duology of films.

Andy Serkis is reprising the role of Gollum, a central figure in J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit book; Cate Blanchett is back as elvish princess Galadriel; Hugo Weaving is playing Elf lord Elrond once again; Orlando Bloom makes a show as Elf warrior Legolas, looking not a day over 300; Christopher Lee is back as the wizard Saruman (but this time he's a good guy); Elijah Wood is Frodo; and Ian McKellen is Gandalf the Grey.

The first Hobbit movie, subtitled An Unexpected Journey, arrives in theaters on December 14, 2012. Then, on December 13, 2013 follows The Hobbit: There and Back Again.