Martin Freeman had to leave the New Zealand set of The Hobbit over the weekend in order to pick up a BAFTA statue for his work on the BBC drama series Sherlock, in which he plays a modern day version of the Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Dr. Watson. And when he went backstage to talk to the press after winning Best Supporting Actor in a drama series, he revealed that his Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch will be heading back to New Zealand with him to also take a role in The Hobbit.

According to Digital Spy Cumberbatch later said that his casting was supposed to be secret, and Freeman had this apology: "I knew I was a big mouth, I didn't know how much of a big mouth, and I've ruined everything. And now I might not have a job to go back to!" But of course, we know that's in jest-- it took director Peter Jackson so long to put together this movie adaptation of The Hobbit that there's no chance he'll fire his Bilbo Baggins for having loose lips. Though even with this bit of casting out of the bag, there's no telling when we might learn which role Cumberbatch will be playing. It was my understanding that all the major roles in the story had been cast already, but Hobbit diehards, feel free to chime in and start the speculation. Cumberbatch is a fantastic and versatile actor who's popped up all over the place last year, from Atonement to the terrorist comedy Four Lions, and will make the Sherlock fans and many others happy by reuniting with Freeman for this one.