Ian McKellen, New Zealand location confirmed for Hobbit films
Sir Ian McKellen will return in the role of Gandalf for two big-budget movies based on the JRR Tolkein book “The Hobbit,” the films’ director Guillermo del Toro confirmed Sunday.
Both movies would be filmed entirely in New Zealand, where the Oscar-winning Tolkien “Lord of the Rings” trilogy was shot.
Mexican film-maker del Toro and the Hobbit films’ executive producer Peter Jackson released details of the latest project during an hour-long live Internet chat with fans.
Del Toro said “Lord of The Rings” stars McKellen and Andy Serkis (Gollum) would return for the Hobbit films but actors for new characters were not yet decided.
Jackson said Hobbiton would be rebuilt “bigger and even better than it was” in the “Lord of the Rings.”
“It is unlikely we will need any locations outside of New Zealand which has always been the perfect Middle Earth,” Jackson said.
“There is nothing yet that Tolkien has described that we haven’t managed to find in this amazing little country and I expect ‘The Hobbit’ to be no different.”
Del Toro was confirmed as director last month after the project was given the go-ahead when Jackson and Hollywood studio New Line ended a lengthy quarrel over dividends from the “Lord of the Rings” series.
- From Yahoo
