Ian McKellen spills on The Hobbit casting, filming, start dates

If it seems like “The Hobbit” is moving at a snail’s pace, well, it is. But at least it’s moving, and Ian McKellen, who’ll be returning as the wise wizard Gandalf, had a few things to say about it. In a recent interview with Empire Online, he revealed a few tidbits about the long-awaited film (two films, actually):

“The scripts for the two films will be delivered very soon,” he revealed. “Then they’ll be budgeted, and then they’ll be cast. And they’ll be going when they’ve always said they would be, which is next spring – March or April.”

McKellen said director Guillermo del Toro told him that filming will take place over 383 days, and McKellen had this to say about the director: “He’s got that artistic autism! Jackson’s the same; they’re very, very, very alike. They also very different, but they’ve so much in common. They both can’t stand Hollywood and have wonderful imaginations, and they’re both obsessed with gore and fantasy. Both of them laugh a great deal. Guillermo’s one of the most brilliant men I’ve ever met. His English vocabulary is way superior to mine!”

Will Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) return for cameos, as has been speculated? Too soon to tell, but McKellen surmises not.

“Unforunately, there won’t be many of the actors going back, unless they’re going to put masks on and be disguised as dwarves! Andy Serkis is, at the moment, I think, the only other actor who’s doing this film.”

McKellen didn’t spill much more about the casting, including who would play the title character Bilbo Baggins. Others rumored to be cast include Ron Perlman, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, and Doug Jones.

I can’t wait until things are more firmed up, and we can actually start looking forward to the return of another Tolkien movie.

Image: New Line Productions; All Rights Reserved.