4. Beorn
He's a giant who turns into a bear. Really, do you need another reason to be excited to see this guy show up? Beorn is something of a while man who lives on the edge of mirkwood, a man who literally rips the heads off goblins and sticks them on posts to warn the rest of them to steer clear. He's described as being much taller than a normal man (towering over Gandalf) so the challenge of capturing this kind of scale on film makes for an exciting prospect. Because for at least a brief time there will be
three different sizes at play in the cast. And not only does Beorn represent a type of magic that we've never seen in a Tolkien adaptation before, but he's never shown up in any previous film version of the story. The Rankin/Bass animated version of
The Hobbit cut Beorn out of the story entirely, so this will be the first time he's stepped from page to screen.