Director Guillermo del Toro confirms that Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving are all set to reprise their roles in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy.
- June 12, 2009
AceShowbiz -
Director Guillermo del Toro has apparently secured the three "The Lord of the Rings" actors he wants for "The Hobbit". In a new interview on BBC Radio, the man behind "Hellboy" and its feature series has confirmed the joining of Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving to the project.
Revealing the casting to Simon Mayo of BBC Radio 5, the 44-year-old filmmaker gushed McKellen, Serkis and Weaving will return "...as the roles they originated in the trilogy". That means McKellen will once again take on the role of wise wizard Gandalf, Serkis will reprise his role as Gollum, and Weaving will portray once more the Master of Rivendell, Lord Elrond.
The radio interview with Guillermo del Toro can be listened to via BBC, and the casting news for "The Hobbit" discussion starts at the 02:10:55 mark into the interview.
"The Hobbit" is the first of the two-part movies made based on the classic J.R.R. Tolkien novel of the same name. It is co-written by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson who has directed Tolkien's other novel adaptation, the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. This first movie is scheduled for December 1, 2011 U.S. release, while "The Hobbit 2" is expected to hit theaters across the U.S. a year later on December 1, 2012.
