Cate Blanchett Joins Hobbit Cast

It looks like Middle Earth’s history is about to get rewritten. Cate Blanchett will reprise her role of Galadriel in the Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit—despite that character’s absence from the book. The book contains practically no female characters, and some speculated that Hobbit director Peter Jackson, who also directed the trilogy, wants to add some girl power to the two-part Hobbit. Jackson also announced several lesser-known actors had joined the cast, but missing from today’s cast list is Sir Ian McKellan, who played the wizard Gandalf in the trilogy. McKellan declared on his website that he would reprise his role in the prequel, but no official announcement has been made.