Recently we had shown a very forlorn shot of Peter Jackson and Ian McKellen right after McKellen finished shooting his last scene as Gandalf the Grey. It was truly a sad moment and had a heavy tone to it knowing that it would be the last time we get to see Gandalf on the big screen. Then, it was Orlando Bloom’s turn to say goodbye.

This time, Peter Jackson let us all know, via his Facebook page, that Martin Freeman is done with his shooting for the next 2 ‘Hobbit’ Films as Bilbo Baggins as well. While the picture with Gandalf was somber, the two final shots we have of Bilbo on set are much more fitting for the carefree hobbit.

What did Mr. Jackson have to say on Martin leaving?

“Tonight Martin Freeman finished his last shot as Bilbo Baggins. The end of an incredible two and a half years. I cannot imagine anyone else in this role – a character that Martin has nurtured and crafted with love and great skill.

We have said goodbye to our elves, humans, wizards and now the hobbit. We now enter our final 2 weeks of pick-ups, and it’s wall to wall dwarves. These pick-ups have been gruelling and intense, but I’m so happy with what we’ve been shooting. These next two movies are going to be pretty great!”

So there you have it. We’re down to dwarves. All kinds of smelly, foul mouthed, drinking, fighting dwarves. I’m looking forward to seeing the final result of the last couple years of filming. How about you? Are you for or against the fact that ‘The Hobbit’ was broken up into a trilogy? I’m clearly a fan and loved what Jackson did with ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ and am dying to see how he handles the rest of the trilogy. What parts of the book are you most excited to see translated to the big screen?