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Ian McKellen Explains Middle Earth Muddle

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Thursday January 13, 2011 @ 3:34am PSTTags: Ian McKellen, Movie Deals, Movies, Peter Jackson, Peter Jackson The Hobbit, The Hobbit, The Hobbit Casting, The Hobbit Production
Mike Fleming

Ian McKellen, who along with Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis and Cate Blanchett formalized his return to Middle Earth to reprise his The Lord of the Rings character Gandalf, has taken to his own blog to explain why his deal took so long. I’m still waiting for formal word on Christopher Lee to bring back Saruman, Ian Holm to do a small turn reprising an older Bilbo Baggins, and possibly Orlando Bloom to return as Legolas for director Peter Jackson. There might even be word on Hugo Weaving and his Elrond character. What I most love about McKellen’s missive is that a 71-year old brilliant actor takes the time to write his own blog, adding hot links (something I’m still getting the hang of). Here is McKellen’s dispatch:

All I had to decide was what to do with the time that is given me.

I’m 71 and fit: though at my age who knows what accident is ’round the next corner?  For a year or more, I have been arranging my professional commitments around the possibility of The Hobbit films starting at almost anytime.  We brought the Waiting for Godot tour of Australia to New Zealand early 2010, assuming I would stay on to start shooting soon after.  Then there was yet another delay: but in Wellington I met with Guillermo del Toro and later read his script for Part One, written with the LOTR writing team.  It was true to the style, the fun and the romance of the trilogy.

When Peter Jackson, already producing, resumed the director’s chair, he kept me in touch with developments.  A second screenplay was sent over, on the understanding that I would not talk about what I read in it.

After the ruckus over trade union expectations and unlikely rumours of filming outside New Zealand, suddenly crucial casting was announced, plus a start date in February 2011.  Martin Freeman as Bilbo sounds perfect.  As my agent continued to negotiate with Warner Brothers, I kept wondering was Gandalf what I most wanted to do, more than a new play for instance or indeed a new part?  Sequels aren’t necessarily as rewarding to act in as their originals.

Could I let Gandalf go?  Would anyone else care if I did?  Elsewhere, does anyone care that Michael Gambon was not the first to play Dumbledore?

The deciding negotiation was not about money but about dates.  Gandalf is needed on set over the next 18 months but with sizeable breaks when I can work on other projects.  My worry that I could not easily escape from Middle Earth was lifted.

I am happy to say I start filming in Wellington on February 21 2011.

–Ian McKellen, London, January 2011

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Andy Serkis Signed As Gollum In ‘Hobbit’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday January 10, 2011 @ 2:08pm PSTTags: Andy Serkis, JRR Tolkien, Movie Deals, Movies, Peter Jackson, Peter Jackson The Hobbit, The Hobbit, The Hobbit Casting
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: I’m told that Andy Serkis has closed his deal to bring back Gollum in The Hobbit, the two films that Peter Jackson will direct in New Zealand starting in February. Serkis will join returning cast members Cate Blanchett and … Read More »

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TOLDJA! Elijah Wood Back For ‘The Hobbit’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday January 7, 2011 @ 5:22pm PSTTags: Elija Wood Frodo, Movies, The Hobbit, The Hobbit Casting
Mike Fleming

In Thursday’s story about Warner Bros fully financing and distributing The Hobbit worldwide, Deadline revealed that Elijah Wood was in talks to bring his Frodo character back to Middle Earth. His reps announced it tonight. Here’s the official word:… Read More »

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Orlando Bloom Close To Legolas Reprise In ‘The Hobbit?’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday December 8, 2010 @ 2:56pm PSTTags: Cate Blanchett The Hobbit, Movies, New Line Cinema, Orlando Bloom, Orlando Bloom The Hobbit, The Hobbit, The Hobbit Casting
Mike Fleming

After New Line Cinema announced Cate Blanchett’s return to Middle Earth for ‘The Hobbit,’ I’m told that Orlando Bloom will likely be the next original cast member set for an encore. He’s near a deal to return as Elven archer … Read More »

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Cate Blanchett Back To Middle Earth For ‘The Hobbit’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday December 7, 2010 @ 1:14pm PSTTags: Cate Blanchett, Cate Blanchett The Hobbit, Movies, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, The Hobbit Casting
Mike Fleming

Cate Blanchett is returning as Galadriel in The Hobbit, which Peter Jackson directs in February. Jackson has also set Ken Stott (Charlie Wilson’s War) to play Dwarf Lord Balin, Sylvester McCoy (Dr. Who) to play the wizard Radagast the Brown, … Read More »

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TOLDJA! James Nesbitt Lands ‘The Hobbit’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday November 1, 2010 @ 6:53pm PDTTags: Alan Horn, James Nesbitt, Movie Deals, Movies, Peter Jackson The Hobbit, The Hobbit, The Hobbit Casting, The Hobbit Production, Toby Emmerich
Mike Fleming

LOS ANGELES November 1, 2010 – British actor James Nesbitt (Millions and TV’s Cold Feet), is the latest actor to join the ensemble cast of The Hobbit, it was jointly announced today by New Line Cinema, Warner Bros, and MGM.
Nesbitt will play Bofur, a disarmingly forthright, funny and

… Read More »

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Peter Jackson Sets First Names For ‘The Hobbit’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Thursday October 21, 2010 @ 5:58pm PDTTags: David Tennant, Fran Walsh, James Nesbitt, Martin Freeman, New Line Toby Emmerich, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, The Hobbit Casting, The Hobbit Casting Buzz
Mike Fleming

BREAKING: While Peter Jackson and Warner Bros are figuring out where they’ll shoot back-to-back installments of The Hobbit, Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh have begun to set his cast for the ambitious projects that will begin shooting in February for release in December 2012 and 2013. The castings were announced by New Line Cinema COO/president Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros COO/president Alan Horn, MGM co-CEO Steve Cooper, and Jackson. As Deadline told you last week, Martin Freeman is set to play Bilbo Baggins, the adventurous Hobbit whose adventures and discovery of the One Ring leads the story up to The Lord of the Rings. Freeman has appeared in films ranging from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Hot Fuzz to  Love Actually. Read More »

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‘The Hobbit’ Finally Filming In February, But Peter Jackson & Actor Unions Still At Odds

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday October 15, 2010 @ 11:01am PDTTags: Andy Serkis, David Tennant, Martin Freeman, MGM Financing The Hobbit, Michael Fassbender, Movies, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit, The Hobbit Casting, The Hobbit Casting Buzz, The Hobbit MGM, The Hobbit Non-Union, The Hobbit Production

UPDATE: Things must be getting close on The Hobbit, because casting buzz is getting strong in Hollywood. Word is Martin Freeman will soon be set to play Bilbo Baggins, that Jimmy Nesbitt has been offered a role and that Michael Fassbender is being pursued for another as is David Tennant. Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis are expected to reprise Gandalf and Gollum.

EARLIER: While it looks like production on The Hobbit is set to start in February on the pair of films directed by Peter Jackson, there are still a few giant issues standing in the way. The films had to go in early 2011 to make the holiday release date. But even though the production schedule looks locked, there’s still the issue of the loud labor fight happening between Jackson and the unions, which have told performers outright not to work on the film because it’s a non-union production. By agreeing to a detente, the films would indeed get underway in New Zealand in early 2011. The delay has also been caused by all the ongoing problems at MGM, and just this week Lionsgate put forth a merger recommendation which Carl Icahn backs. That would obviously affect the pending Spyglass deal  – and add more drama to any major production going forward. (Meanwhile, while MGM goes through all of its tumult, Mary Parent is expectedly in the process of leaving the studio, which she has run for almost three years.) Read More »

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