Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis confirmed for The Hobbit

Brad Sturdivant January 10th, 2011

First we had confirmed reports that Elijah Wood would be returning as Frodo in Peter Jackson’s two-part epic THE HOBBIT and now we get word that fellow LORD OF THE RINGS alumni Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Andy Serkis (Gollum) will be joining our hairy-footed friend in the prequel. Not only that, but we also get a start date of February 21st, 2011…well, at least for Ian McKellen, who updated the news on his personal website. So there you go; after years of delays, THE HOBBIT is finally happening and with some familiar faces.

I’m actually not a huge fan of THE HOBBIT and am of the mindset that the film is better left not being made, but I understand I’m in the minority on that one. But at least Peter Jackson is smart enough to assemble the old crew so he won’t have to attract a general audience from scratch. And he’s directing it himself, which is a huge plus.

Ian McKellen as Gandalf