Cinematic legend Sir Ian McKellen has confirmed that he is once again going to be playing the wizard Gandalf in Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of The Hobbit. Although he hasn’t formally signed the contract on the dotted line, he seems to be very happy with the idea of returning to the world of Middle Earth. He had this to say about reprising his role and working with a new director:

“Well, I haven’t had the contract yet but it’s everyone’s intention that I play Gandalf so yes, I will be returning to the role. Although it’s not until 2010, I’m very much excited about returning…if you’re not going to have Peter Jackson, who else can handle the job? To get an international film-maker of his (del Toro) standing who adores the original trilogy, well I don’t think you could possibly find a better replacement. I think the look will be very much as it was, Weta is still involved, it’s still the same workshops, the same designers, I’ll be there, Andy Serkis (now confirmed to return as Gollum) will be there and Peter Jackson will still be around - not that he’ll interfere too much - so it’ll seem like the old family is getting back together again.”

Source: Empire