Martin Freeman joins Fargo; wonder if he was a hard Hobbit to break?

Martin Freeman’s wallet just got fatter.

The star of the “Hobbit” movies has snagged the lead in a small-screen spin-off of the Oscar Winning “Fargo”, according to Contact Music.

Though Freeman would’ve likely gladly worn the dress previously occupied by the similar-looking Frances McDormand, he’s actually playing the ‘William H.Macy’ character on the show (though that character is now named Lester Nygaard, not Jerry Lundegaard).

The 10-episode series, set to launch on FX in 2014, also stars Billy Bob Thornton, who has welcomingly put his direct-to-video career on hold to play chief antagonist Lorne Malvo.