Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen Ink Deals for ‘The Hobbit’!

It seems every time I do a post on The Hobbit another news story breaks the next day and I have to do another post. Well, when the news is this good I don’t mind doing so: it has been confirmed that both Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Ian McKellen (Gandalf) have finally (but certainly not unexpectedly) agreed to terms to reprise their roles in The Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit!

But that’s not all… there’s even more news on the “returning actor” front — hit “more” to find out who else is in talks to return!

According to Deadline, both Christopher Lee (Saruman) and Ian Holm (Older Bilbo Baggins) are in talks to return as well. It’s likely that Christopher Lee‘s Saruman would appear in scenes with Cate Blanchett‘s Galadriel as members of the White Council — a group of elves and wizards who determine how to deal with the growing threat of Sauron (of course, we know how that turned out with Saruman, don’t we?). Ian Holm, meanwhile, would likely appear in scenes with Elijah Wood‘s Frodo — click here to read spoilerific rumors about that.

Now all we’re missing is Hugo Weaving as Elrond… make it happen Peter Jackson!

The films will begin shooting in New Zealand on February 14 for an anticipated two-part release in December 2012 and December 2013. Peter Jackson will be directing from a script written by himself, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh (who wrote the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Guillermo del Toro.

Excited for The Hobbit yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!