Lee Pace to Join Cate Blanchett, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, et al. in The Hobbit Movies

Lee Pace has joined the cast of Peter Jackson’s forthcoming film version of J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit, according to a post by Jackson on his Facebook page. Pace will play the Elven King Thranduil.

Pace is currently appearing on Broadway in The Normal Heart. His other stage credits include The Credeaux Canvas, The Fourth Sister, and Small Tragedy. Among his film and television credits are The Fall, The Good Shepherd, The Resident and Pushing Daisies.

The film, to be released in two parts, focuses on the adventures that take place in the realm of Middle Earth in a period preceding — and sets the stage for — the events in The Lord of the Rings. Other stage veterans in the cast include the previously announced Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman, and Ian McKellen, among others.