The film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is beginning to take shape.

First came the official word, actually while we were recording Week in Geek #17, that Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) had been tapped to direct two movies based on the original adventure of the erstwhile Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Esq., of Bag End, which eventually and indirectly led to The Lord of the Rings.  Peter Jackson will serve as Executive Producer of the films and will co-write the scripts.

Now, in addition to this, comes the official word that Sir Ian McKellen, who arguably provided the LotR film trilogy with the definitive portrayal of Gandalf, has signed on to reprise the role of the iconic wizard in the prequel series.

Filming for The Hobbit is scheduled to begin in 2009, with release dates of 2010 and 2011 being looked at.

It’s good to know that Peter Jackson is still going to be involved in the project; the rift between him and New Line must’ve been worked out.  Between him and McKellen, it certainly seems as if The Hobbit, while necessarily a less complex tale than LotR, is on course to turn out at least as good a film duology as the now-classic LotR trilogy.  I must confess to some curiousity as to why they felt the need to split the novel into two films, as you could comfortably adapt the entire book into a single movie the length of The Return of the King, if not slightly shorter.  (For comparison:  The Rankin-Bass-produced animated film from the late ’70s clocks in at about 92 minutes, and manages to include the lion’s share of The Hobbit in that time frame; there are major cuts made to be sure, such as the complete Arkenstone subplot and much of the storylines involving the Men of Esgaroth and Dale.  Even so, I cannot imagine a complete, faithful adaptation of the book would require much more than 150-160 minutes of screen time.  Nor can I really make a guess at what point the division between the movies will be made, though my first instinct is to suggest the break-point being when Bilbo and the Dwarves make their escape from the Elvenking’s lair.

Something to watch for, certainly…

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