The cast of The Hobbit is certainly gathering apace, but oddly the two people it was widely ‘known’ would star, have been conscpicuous by their absence in official updates – Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen. During the long pre-production period, their names were continuously mentioned as appearing in the movie, but with the delays and contract negotiations, it’s only now that we can say the duo have signed their contracts and will definitely return to Middle Earth.
Deadline has the Andy Serkis news, saying that he has now closed his deal to bring back Gollum in the two Hobbit movies, while THR says Ian McKellen is no officially set to bring back Gandalf. They join fellow returnees Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood (Frodo will bookend the movies, telling the tale of The Hobbit to a group of youngsters), while there are still rumours Of Orlando Bloom returning, while Christopher Lee is apparently in talks to reprise the role of Saruman and Ian Holm may return as an old Bilbo (with Martin Freeman playing him as a young man).
Interestingly, while McKellen has been one of the most vocal in his support of The Hobbit – and with that came the assumption he’d take part – it appears he had last minute reservations, partly because he was fed up with having spent so long booking his work around a movie that kept getting pushed back and back, and partly because at 71, he seems to think he only has a finite amount of time to try new things. He’s posted on his website, ‘As my agent continued to negotiate with Warner Brothers, I kept wondering was Gandalf what I most wanted to do, more than a new play for instance or indeed a new part? Sequels arent necessarily as rewarding to act in as their originals. Could I let Gandalf go? Would anyone else care if I did? Elsewhere, does anyone care that Michael Gambon was not the first to play Dumbledore?’ Well, let’s just be pleased he got over it and signed up, with the final factor being that while he’ll be needed over an 18 month period, there’ll be large breaks where he can work on other things!
It all finally seems to be coming together, with production apparently set to begin next month, under the direction of Peter Jackson.