Source: SciFi Wire

Oscar nominee Ian McKellen recently spoke about The Hobbit, saying he'd read the screenplays for the two-chapter Lord of the Rings prequel.

"As Peter [Jackson] has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for The Hobbit] because they knew who they were writing for," he said. "The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. So it's extremely attractive that this part has been written for me. There's lots for me to enjoy, in all sorts of ways. And I couldn't be happier. But I'm sworn to secrecy. I'm not to say anything at all about the script."

The screenplays were written by Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who also wrote the screenplays for the original trilogy, as well as Guillermo Del Toro, who is taking over as director. "I have seen his other movies," says McKellen. "And I think the script, because I have read it, plays very much to Guillermo's strengths, as I've seen them." Finally, the actor also confirmed that the role of Bilbo, played by Ian Holm in the the original trilogy, is still yet to be cast. The Hobbit is tentatively slated to open in December 2011.