from Collider.com:
Director Peter Jackson announced two new additions to the cast of The Hobbit. Lee Pace (Pushing Daises) is set to star as the Elven King Thranduil. In The Lord of the Rings mythology, Thranduil is the father of Legolas and plays a supporting role in The Hobbit. Additionally, Kiwi actor Dean O’Gorman will be playing Fili, a dwarf and one of the twelve companions of Bilbo. Posting the news on his Facebook page, here’s what Jackson had to say about the casting of Pace:
“Casting these Tolkien stories is very difficult, especially the Elven characters, and Lee has always been our first choice for Thranduil. He’s going to be great. We loved his performance in a movie called The Fall a few years ago, and have been hoping to work with him since. When we were first discussing who would be right for Thranduil, Lee came into mind almost immediately.”
Read the full article here and check out the IMDB page to see the rest of the cast!