Ian McKellen has read The Hobbit!

Hobbit watchers, prepare to be jealous of Ian McKellen. For he has read the script for the first film.

Yes, the pages that have finally been delivered by Guillermo del Toro, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson and Philipa Boyens, are circulating to those already committed to the movie.

And, one assumes, could be on the 'net before the end of the week (just kidding!)

The man who wears Gandalf's robes naturally can't say very much yet about the script, but at least it means the damn thing is edging closer to production.

"As Peter has said, they loved writing Gandalf for The Hobbit because they knew who they were writing him for," McKellen tells Sci Fi Wire. "

There are a lot of characters in The Hobbit including, crucially, Bilbo, and they don't know who's going to play Bilbo. So it's extremely attractive that this part has been written for me.

"The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. 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."

He can, however, gush about how well GDT and Jackson have meshed.

"They are the same person. They were separated at birth. They're twins.

"They have the same attitude. Neither likes working in Hollywood. They're both fascinated by fantasy and violence on the screen, and gore, and things that frighten you.

"They like going into the psyche. They're both brilliant storytellers in very much the same way. And I think the script, because I have read it, plays very much to Guillermo's strengths, as I've seen them."

[Source: Sci fi Wire ]

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James White is a freelance journalist who has been covering film and TV for over two decades. In that time, James has written for a wide variety of publications including Total Film and SFX. He has also worked for BAFTA and on ODEON's in-cinema magazine.