After months of assuming that stars Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis would be returning for Peter Jackson‘s two-part adaptation of The Hobbit, but wondering just what was taking so long to officially lock them up, it’s been finally announced that the two actors will definitely be reprising their roles.

McKellen was Academy Award nominated for his work as Gandalf in Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Serkis should have gotten an Oscar nomination for his performance capture work as Gollum — both of which are important characters in J.R.R. Tolkien‘s first adventure in that world, The Hobbit. We’ve already heard of plenty of LOTR characters who weren’t part of The Hobbit but were being used anyway, so many worried where these two all-crucial actors were and why their casting was delayed.

Now that McKellen and Serkis are confirmed, all seems to be in place for the most part. There’s still casting to be done and work to complete before filming can ensue, but it looks like all systems are go for the planned February 14 start date.

For those who missed it, Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Sherlock) will star as Bilbo Baggins, and Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, and Orlando Bloom are all said to be returning for the movies.

[Source: Deadline, THR]