It was just confirmed that Sir Ian McKellan and will be returning to the role of Gandalf in director Peter Jackson’s two part upcoming Hobbit film. He joins returning alumni of Andy Serkis (Gollum), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Christopher Lee (Saruman) and Elija Wood (Frodo).
Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy has also been cast as the wizard Radagast the Brown. While the character mainly appears in The Lord of the Rings (he’s the one who, unwittingly, lures Gandalf into Saruman’s trap in Fellowship of the Ring) it appears Peter Jackson may be taking some liberties with the book’s material to expand on several themes.
Linked to the production by muliple sources is the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, who may be up for the role of Thranduil the Elvenking, who Bilbo (Martin Freeman) will meet on his journey to destroy Smaug, the dragon.
Two Doctors in one film? Pinch me. Filming starts next month, with The Hobbit: Part 1 hitting theaters on December 19th, 2012. Part 2 comes out in December 2013.
