Martin Freeman has turned down the role of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit.
Peter Jackson is currently casting the movie but Freeman was force to turn down the central roe because he has already committed to a second series of BBC's Sherlock.
The actor will reprise the role John Watson alongside Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and the pair have a twenty week filming schedule on the horizon.
A source told The Sun: "It was one of the most difficult decisions of his career. MGM, who are making the film, only got a formal offer over in the last couple of weeks."
They continued: "It was too late for Martin because he had already signed up for another series of Sherlock. It was agonising but he had no other choice.
"All the actors had to read four pages of script to camera which is being shown to Peter Jackson."
"He is looking for a hidden gem now Martin has ruled himself out of the job."
Only Andy Serkis and Ian McKellan have been linked to The Hobbit, both expected to reprise the roles of Gollum and Gandalf.
When filming will get underway on the movie is yet unknown as the project has been hit by the financial issues that currently face MGM.
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