It's been fairly common knowledge for awhile now that Sir Ian McKellen would be returning to the role of Gandalf in director Guillermo del Toro's two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel, "The Hobbit." He was brilliant in the role across all three "Lord of the Rings" movies, and neither fans nor filmmakers can see anyone realistically bringing the slightly irreverent wizard to life again in the coming "Rings" prequels.
The question remains, however, of who else will be returning. "The Hobbit" is set roughly 60 years before the "Rings" trilogy, but Tolkien's Middle-earth is filled with long-lived species. Humans get their natural lifespan, but dwarves and hobbits last far longer. As for elves... well, they're basically immortal. So there's been a lot of speculation concerning which characters might return in "The Hobbit." Now we know the plan, straight from the mouth of producer (and "Rings" trilogy director) Peter Jackson.
Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett, who played elves Elrond and Galadriel, respectively, will be back. Or that's the hope, at least.
"We have a process that would start with showing them the script," Jackson explained. "We're not [beginning] any official process until we have the 'official' script that they can read." We already know that McKellen has seen the script, even gotten a copy of his own. So the question now becomes where Jackson, del Toro, et al are in the writing process.
"It's two movies, and we've written the first script, which the studio responded well to," Jackson revealed. "And we're now halfway through the second script." Jackson is excited to be playing a part in the writing process, describing this stage as his "favorite part of the whole process."
Since the "Rings" films took some artful liberties with Tokien's original story, we're now left wondering if Jackson will do the same with "The Hobbit," perhaps in the form of some other familiar faces. Even the Blanchett plan points to some artistic license, as her character Galadriel doesn't actually appear in the book. If Jackson's got any plans of bringing other characters back, however, he's not revealing anything just yet.
"In book terms, the world of 'The Hobbit' takes place 60 years before 'The Lord of the Rings,' as it was written by Tolkien," he said. "So, not a lot of the characters actually feature, because they weren't around yet."
Elrond appears in the book, so Weaving's return is expected. And Galadriel makes sense to return, though exactly how she'll factor into the story is a big question mark at this point. It is said that "The Hobbit" will feature a story expanded from the book, with a possible subplot focusing on Gandalf's encounter with an evil necromancer, an event referenced but not explicitly shown in the book. Perhaps Galadriel will factor in here, with her elves supporting Gandalf. Alternatively, she could also pop up towards the end of the story, at the Battle of the Five Armies. Until someone close to the production addresses these questions directly, the details will remain a mystery.
Where do you think Galadriel might pop up in "The Hobbit"? Are you pleased to hear about the hoped-for return of Blanchett and Weaving? Can you see any other possibilities for returning characters from the "Rings" trilogy? For more on this news, check out Larry Carroll's report on MTV.com!
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