15 Things That Almost Completely Changed The Hobbit Trilogy

12. Brian Blessed Almost Played Thorin Oakenshield

It would be fair to say that Richard Armitage's casting as the Dwarf king wasn't exactly met with a tide of excitement: he was relatively unknown, and next to some of the suggested names (like Brian Cox) he was a major departure. And frankly, he didn't really look particularly dwarfy. But that criticism made way to praise from some quarters when the first Hobbit movie came round and Armitage's performance was a success (if a little one-note in its grumpiness). How different expectations can be. Armitage wasn't the only candidate for the role of course, and alongside Cox, the most intriguing suggestion was that Brian Blessed would have been set to play the leader of the company of dwarves, which could have either been a genius move or a diabolical one. The idea of him braying "BILBO BAGGINS IS ALIVE!" is an irresistible one, but that doesn't mean the reality would have been any good.