Connolly, who recently found himself at the short end of his audiences’ ire after he left a number of shows early, has been cast as Dain Ironfoot in the in-production The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

“We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of the dwarves, than Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself,” Jackson has said in a statement.

The prequel movie already a has a Brit strong cast with Martin Freeman paying the titular role of Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit who embarks on a quest across Middle Earth and encounters the famed ring.

He is joined by the likes of the returning Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom. 

The film is the first in a two-part Hobbit story, and is due for release this December. The Hobbit: There and Back Again will follow in December 2013.

You can check out the trailer for the film below:

Photo: Getty