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This article might include some rather old news to all hardcore Tolkien fans out there. This will be especially true if you’ve been following the numerous blogs and websites out there that dedicate themselves to writing about the latest rumours and news regarding the upcoming film adaption of J.R.R Tolkiens epic masterpiece “The Hobbit”. I read an article about this on one of the “Paparazzi” websites in my country (the kind on which you can spend 32 weeks reading about how fat Britney has become).

Ian McKellen played the legendary Gandalf character in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. If at this point you have no idea what I’m talking about, you need to slap yourself in the face and pray to Tolkien for forgiveness. Since the release of the movies, I can’t see how anyone could have passed this trilogy by.

In any case, this is basically an update for those of you who were completely disconnected with the pre-production of the film “The Hobbit”. So here it all is in a nutshell (am I using that right? Well… when in Rome!). “The Hobbit” is a prequel to the “Lord of the Rings” saga and tells the epic tale of Bilbos journey for treasure. Expect a wizard and enough dwarves to pass around (that also sounds kind of wrong).

“The Hobbit” is going to be split into 2 films, the first being released in 2010, the second in 2011. There have been rumours that the first film would be “The Hobbit”, but the second an untold story, not directly adapted from a Tolkien novel. This rumour was shot down on April 24th by Yahoo News, saying that the new films are based on the book ONLY.

Peter Jackson will NOT be directing this time around due to timetable conflicts (he is directing Tintin for Steven Spielberg). He will however be executive producer along with Fran Walsh. Confirmed director is Guillermo del Toro (Pans Labyrinth, Blade 2). The project will once again be shot in New Zealand and WingNut and WETA (Workshop and Digital) will make a return as well.

McKellen has NOT been confirmed for the role of Gandalf, but has said that he loves playing this role and that “it is not a job you say NO to”. Peter Jackson has also noted that he could never imagine anyone else playing this role.

Well thats pretty much it. I guess I got a bit excited, so I did a bit of research. Hope you’re looking forward to these films as much as I am.

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