Lee Pace as Thranduil: Referred to in the novel as "The Elvenking", he is the ruler of the realm of thenorthern part of Mirkwood. He is also the father of Legolas. In the novel, the Dwarves are captured by Thranduil's guards and locked in his dungeons when they refuse to divulge their intentions. In the early stages of production, the role had been linked to actors Doug Jones and David Tennant, but on 29 April 2011, Jackson reported on Facebook that the role had gone to Pace. On his casting, Jackson said, "Casting these Tolkien stories is very difficult, especially the Elven characters and Lee has always been our first choice for Thranduil. He's going to be great. We loved his performance in a movie called The Fall a few years ago and have been hoping to work with him since. When we were first discussing who would be right for Thranduil, Lee came into mind almost immediately."