Ian McKellan
Ian McKellan has revealed that The Hobbit will take a year to shoot.
The popular actor will return to New Zealand to reprise the role of wizard Gandalf in the big screen adaptation of J.R.R Tolkein's novel.
This time around it will not be Peter Jackson in the director's chair but Guillermo del Toro, the man behind Pan's Labyrinth, however Jackson is penning the script and acting as producer.
In an interview with Empire the actor said: "[The movies will] be going when they've always said they would be, which is next spring - March or April.
"Guillermo even told me at one point, 'We're going to film for 383 days'. He's got that artistic autism! [Producer Peter] Jackson's the same; they're very, very, very alike.
"They both can't stand Hollywood and have wonderful imaginations, and they're both obsessed with gore and fantasy. Both of them laugh a great deal.
"Guillermo's one of the most brilliant men I've ever met. His English vocabulary is way superior to mine!"
Who will play the lead role is still unknown with James McAvoy, Martin Freeman, David Tennant and Daniel Radcliffe all being linked to the part.
Tagged in The Hobbit Sir Ian McKellen