Barry Humphries has joined the cast of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and will portray the Goblin King in the two-part epic.
Jackson, writing on his Facebook page, said Humphries will create the Goblin King in a similar way that Andy Serkis created the character of Gollum.
"Barry is perhaps best known for his business and social connections as the long-time manager of Dame Edna Everage," Jackson wrote.
"He has also been an ardent supporter of the rather misunderstood and unfairly maligned Australian politician, Sir Les Patterson. However, in his spare time, Barry is also a fine actor, and we're looking forward to seeing him invest the Goblin King with the delicate sensitivity and emotional depth this character deserves."
Jackson also announced that Canadian actor Evangeline Lilly, who starred in the Lost TV series, will be playing a new character: the Woodland Elf, Tauriel.
"Her name means 'daughter of Mirkwood' and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.) What is not a secret is how talented and compelling an actress Evangeline is; we are thrilled and excited she will be the one to bring our first true Sylvan Elf to life."
The recent announcements that Welsh actor Luke Evans will portray Bard and Benedict Cumberbatch will portray the fearsome dragon Smaug, rounds out the major casting.
Both Hobbit films are based on J.R.R Tolkien's novel and are set in Middle-earth, 60 years before The Lord of the Rings. The films will follow the journey of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from Smaug.
The production's first block of shooting recently finished and location scouting is currently underway, according to Jackson.
The full cast also includes many of the original actors from The Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as an ensemble including Richard Armitage, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas, and Aidan Turner.