Peter Jackson's The Hobbit has been in production for nearly a month now - check out the awesome first video blog that Jackson sent out after the production first began - but with the size and scope of the project, it should be no surprise that the casting is an on-going process. Set to be in filming for the next few months, some characters probably won't be needed on set for quite some time, and just to prove that, Jackson has invited two new actors to The Shire.

Via his Facebook page, Jackson has announced that Stephen Fry and Conan Stevens have officially joined the cast of The Hobbit. Fry is set to play The Master of Laketown, a deceptive, greedy but smart man who serves as the mayor of the town closest to the Lonely Mountain when Bilbo Baggins and his group arrives. Stevens will play Azog, an Orc who began a war against the Dwarves and killed their leader. Furthermore, Ryan Gage, who was previously cast in a smaller role, has seen his part upgraded and he will now play Alfrid, the "Master's conniving civil servant."

Though there's no picture of Fry on the set just yet, Jackson did post a photo of himself standing next to Stevens, and it's pretty obvious why he was a perfect casting choice. Check out the image below.