Over the weekend actor Sir Ian McKellen wrote on his personal website hinting that he’ll reprise his role as Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s next two “Hobbit” films. Here’s what he wrote in his feature film section on his site:
The Hobbits, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in February 2011. Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth.
While I wasn’t too worried about McKellen returning as Gandalf, I will confess that there had been some concerns regarding his involvement. Particularly when he revealed in an interview earlier this year about how he hadn’t been officially signed onto the films. But I guess that’s all in the past now and with “The Hobbit” humming along nicely it’s only a matter of time before we receive an official confirmation that McKellen will officially return in Jackson’s next two “Hobbit” films.
“The Hobbit” isn’t expected to hit theaters until November 2012, with a sequel to follow in 2013. The epic will star Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, David Tennant, Ron Perlman and Hugo Weaving.