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"Martin Freeman has left 'The Hobbit'. This is not another April fool, just a fact of May. Before signing as Bilbo, Martin had agreed to make three movies for television for 90 minutes in London, again playing Dr. Sherlock Holmes Watson Benedict Cumberbatch.
Do not worry I will be back in Middle-earth after our first break, in which Peter Jackson will be free to edit the scenes already completed. The rest of the cast is kept in service for several weeks, working in sections hobbit-less film. These include elves, dwarves of course, but also, with Hugo Weaving back for a stretch as Lord Elrond. "