So far it was only speculated that “The Hobbit” was in the process of being worked out. But a few days ago, Sir Ian McKellen or Gandalf as he is popularly known, dropped a bombshell on his website. According to the actor, the Tolkien fantasy will begin shooting in the month of July.
This time Peter Jackson will not function as the director, preferring to get Guillermo Del Toro to fulfill that vacancy. The Mexican-born director now lives in Wellington which is also the location of Jackson’s studio. The shooting will take place in familiar surroundings in New Zealand. McKellan also stated that casting had already begun in the cities of Los Angeles, New York City and London. Many familiar faces are expected to reprise their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, including McKellan as Gandalf, Andy Serkis as Gollum and Hugo Weaving as Elrond. The chief character of Bilbo Baggins remains unannounced.
“The Hobbit” is actually a prequel to the “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and describes the adventures of Bilbo Baggins who set off on an adventure with a group of dwarves. Along the way he encounters Gollum and also picks up an “innocuous looking ring” which plays a huge part later on in the Lord of the Rings saga.
According to McKellan, filming could take more than a year to complete. “The Hobbit” is expected to be released as a two part movie and the rumored release date of the first part puts it in 2012, but nothing definite has been revealed yet. There is also no news from Jackson as to whether the movie will be in 3D, following the trend of new fantasy movies.