Ian Holm returns as Bilbo in ‘The Hobbit’

On Friday, Peter Jackson announced Ian Holm will return as Bilbo Baggins. The actor previously played Bilbo in Jackson’s three film adaptations of Lord of the Rings.

Acording to Entertainment Weekly, Jackson revealed via Facebook that Holm will return to play an older version of Bilbo. Martin Freeman will play the younger Bilbo.

E! Online reports Jackson simply wrote, “Ian will be returning as the older Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit.” Constant fan speculation apparently fueled the director to release the casting detail, carefully analyzing Bilbo’s voice at the end of a recent video blog. The voice actually belonged to Freeman, but it didn’t keep fans from launching enough speculation to get Jackson to fess up.

However, it remains unclear exactly how Holm’s older Bilbo will be used in the film and how much screen time the actor will see. Jackson did not divulge any plot or character details regarding Holm’s involvement.