We have further confirmation today from the mouths of McKellen and Serkis that they are ready to rock the Hobbit. We get the following scoop from our friends at cinematical:
TheOneRing.net has gotten word from Del Toro that, “all bureaucracy pending,” McKellen is on board to play Gandalf, and Andy Serkis is happy to again lend his body to Gollum. Further confirmation of McKellen’s intention to return comes from McKellen’s official website (which he maintains himself), where he includes The Hobbit in his filmography. And Serkis seems to have done the same.
In the interview, Del Toro also makes the promising announcement that he plans to treat Peter Jackson’s films “as canon,” with the only major changes being greater use of animatronics (rather than pure CGI) and a subtly different color palette.
This is no surprise, and we have heard it before – but additional confirmation is always welcome. I think having the same actors play Gandalf and Gollum will be a great way to add cohesion with the trilogy; and it will be a hit with fans. I know I was quite pleased to hear that McKellen was on board, and think it was an obvious decision to make.
Del Toro calling Jackson’s trilogy “cannon” is a statement that is loaded with respect. Del Toro has no desire to blaspheme the series. He will build upon the work of Jackson with the intent of making it gel flawlessly to the trilogy. With Jackson still onboard as a producer, it’s not like Del Toro had a choice – but it’s nice to hear him speak these words, and I cannot foresee any problems between the two.
I’m interested in seeing the finished work from the hands of these powerful collaborators. After the Hobbit is done I wonder if we will see more projects with Jackson producing and Del Toro directing. Will this be the next generation’s Spielberg/Lucas?
I really think Del Toro was an outstanding choice for this film. I loved the LOTR trilogy and am looking forward to more adventures in middle earth. This film can’t come soon enough.
