Martin Freeman Joins 'Captain America: Civil War'

By Brent Lang

Having wrapped up his stint in Middle-earth, Hobbit star Martin Freeman has joined the cast of Captain America: Civil War.

SEE MORE: From the May 05, 2015 issue of Variety

The film is heavily anticipated among fanboys because it is expected to feature a smackdown between Captain America and Iron Man. Marvel released the news on its website, as is its habit, but did not give any specifics about what role Freeman would assume.

The comic book sequel hits theaters on May 6, 2016, and is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who oversaw Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The cast is expected to include Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Anthony Mackie as Falcon, among other costumed heroes.

In addition to playing Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit trilogy, Freeman has appeared in Sherlock, the Fargo TV series and the original U.K. version of The Office. Most recently, he has filmed Tina Fey’s untitled wartime black comedy.