While it was supposed to be a secret, it was revealed a few weeks ago that Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman's Sherlock Holmes co-star, would have a role Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. At the very least, however, the report didn't say who Cumberbatch would be playing in the film, still leaving a bit of surprise. Now that has been ruined as well.
Deadline has it that Cumberbatch will actually be playing two parts in Jackson's film, though you won't actually recognize him. The site's sources say that the British actor will be playing two extremely evil characters, first providing the voice of Necromancer and the dragon known as Smaug. Already on the set providing the voice for the former - the spirit form of Sauron the Dark Lord - Cumberbatch will not only be providing Smaug's voice but will also be going the Andy Serkis route and strapping on the motion capture suit. Necromancer doesn't actually appear in J. R. R. Tolkien's book, but it's been widely reported that Jackson won't be sticking entirely to the book, so one can assume that this is an example of a change.
I find it funny that The Hobbit is such a huge production that it can already be filming for two weeks and just now add both Cumberbatch and Luke Evans. Split into two parts, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is penciled in for December 14, 2012, while The Hobbit: There and Back Again will arrive on December 13, 2013.
