According to Ian McKellen’s official website, director Guillermo del Toro is getting ready to begin filming his epic two-part adaptation of The Hobbit in July.
McKellen, who is set to return to his role of the powerful wizard Gandalf, says that casting has begun in many different parts of the world and del Toro is now living in New Zealand near producer Peter Jackson and the studio where the movies are set to film. The Hobbit is of course based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, and is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy that Jackson turned into a massively-successful set of films in early this past decade.
Here is the full statement from McKellen’s site:
THE HOBBIT’s, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in July. Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth.
The director Guillermo del Toro is now living in Wellington, close to the Jacksons’ and the studio in Miramar.
I really hope that this stands true. These movies feel as if they’ve been coming for decades now, and it’s about time we find out who’s in, who’s out, and maybe get a few images sent our way!
[Source: via AICN]
I hate to say it but all it takes is another law suite from the Tolkien estat and everything is put on hold again and stays that way until the law suite is settled. It’s the main reason why it’s taken this long to get started.