News comes from Hollywood Reporter that Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis have finally signed on to reprise their Lord of the Rings roles in the upcoming prequel The Hobbit. Both had long been expected to return but the constant delays in the film’s production meant nothing was a sure bet.
McKellen, who will return as the wizard Gandalf, and Serkis, who will reprise his beloved role of the treacherous Gollum join fellow returning cast members Elijah Wood, who starred in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as Frodo Baggins and is expected to provide bookend scenes to The Hobbit, and Cate Blanchett. Orlando Bloom has been made an offer to also return as Legolas the elf archer.
Martin Freeman will star in the upcoming two-part prequel film series as Bilbo Baggins. Ian Holm, who played the character in the original trilogy, is in negotiations to return — presumably for the same bookend sequences starring Elijah Wood.
The film will begin shooting early next year.
