It’s full steam ahead for Peter Jackson’s pair of films of The Hobbit, as Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis head back to Middle Earth. Plus, find out when production begins…
It's taken quite a while to get this far, that's fair to say. But finally, the long-delayed shoot of The Hobbit is set to begin in February.
The Hobbit is, as you probably know, set to split into two films, both being helmed by Peter Jackson, and shot at the same time in New Zealand over the coming year. And once Martin Freeman had been announced as Bilbo Baggins, the main cast had pretty much fallen into place.
The last pieces of the jigsaw are gradually being put into place now, ahead of the marathon shoot of the films. And it's now, finally, been confirmed that Sir Ian McKellen will definitely return as Gandalf, while Andy Serkis is back as Gollum.
Ian Holm is believed to be in negotiations to play the older Bilbo Baggins, too.
Furthermore, following the financial mire that MGM found itself in that led to the delay in production, we understand that Warner Bros is now stumping up the full $500m budget for the films, and taking the lion's share of the distribution rights as a result. This is good timing for Warner Bros, as the Harry Potter franchise, which has kept its balance sheet in fine fettle, ends this year. And that means that, for 2012 and 2013 at least, The Hobbit can now attempt to fill that gap.
Expect the few remaining casting gaps to be filled in the next few weeks, and then let the shoot begin...
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