Hugo Weaving to Return for "The Hobbit"

Guillermo del Toro was a guest on BBC radio where he talked about "The Hobbit" prequels, including some casting news and whether there will be a "bridge film." [via /Film]

"There is a whole other chapter, so to speak, which is the comings and going of Gandalf which are dealt with," he explained. "People that know the lore know that Gandalf was delayed with a crisis... with a character that is very shady called the Necromancer that proves to be Sauron."

When asked if Andy Serkis will return, Del Toro replied: "Yes [and] Ian McKellen is back, [and] Hugo Weaving in the roles they originated in the trilogy."

Regarding Smaug, Del Toro revealed that after eight months of design work, they have just "cracked the basic engineering." He thinks that they will need another six or seven months before Smaug will be ready.