Ian McKellen has confirmed he will revive his famed role as wizard Gandalf in the movie adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit.

MCKellen, who has appeared as Gandalf in all three Lord Of The Rings films, had made no secret of his desire to land the part – even though Peter Jackson would not be directing.

Guillermo del Toro has been named as the director of the two movies to be made back-to-back in New Zealand – the first an adaptation of the novel, and the following an original story focusing on the 60 years between the book and the beginning of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

The actor tells Empire magazine, “Yes, It’s true. It’s not a part that you turn down. I loved playing Gandalf. I spoke to Guillermo in the very room that Peter Jackson offered me the part and he confirmed that I would be reprising the role.”

He also confirmed that del Toro would be starting the script after he finishes filming his current project, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, in six weeks time, saying, “As to how it’s going to work over two films and what going to happen on screen, well Guillermo has not got down to working out the major details yet – I can tell you it’s going to be amazing though.”

Source

WENN

Atonement, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, has won the best film award at this year’s Orange British Academy Film Awards.

The movie, adapetd from Ian McEwan’s novel, was nominated for 14 awards, but only went home with two, Best Film and Best Production Design.

James McAvoy lost out on the best actor award to Daniel Day-Lewis’s towering performance in There Will Be Blood, and Keira Knightley was beaten by Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose.

The Best British Film category was won by Shane Meadows’s 1980’s drama This Is England, beating off strong competition from The Bourne Ultimatum and Control.

The full list of winners:

Best Film – Atonement

Best British Film – This Is England

Best Actor – Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)

Best Actress – Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)

Best Supporting Actor – Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)

Best Supporting Actress – Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)

David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction – Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men)

Best Original Screenplay – Juno (Diablo Cody)

Best Adapted Screenplay – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (Ronald Harwood)

Film Not in the English Language – The Lives of Others

Best Animated Film – Ratatouille

The Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Matt Greenhalgh (writer of Control)

Orange Rising Star Award – Shia LaBeouf

Music – La Vie En Rose

Cinematography – No Country For Old Men

Editing – The Bourne Ultimatum

Production Design – Atonement

Costume Design – La Vie En Rose

Sound – The Bourne Ultimatum

Special Visual Effects – The Golden Compass

Make Up & Hair – La Vie En Rose

Short Animation - The Pearce Sisters

Short Film – Dog Altogether

Red Carpet: Amanda Peet and husband, James McAvoy and wife,  Javier Bardem,  Jessica Biel, Kate Hudson, Keira Knightley, Kevin Spacey, Rosamund Pike, Samantha Morton, Sienna Miller and boyfriend Rhys Ifans and Viggo Mortensen.

Backstage: Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Daniel Day Lewis, Daniel Radcliffe, Emily Blunt, Eva Green, Harvey Keitel, Hugh Laurie, Ian McKellen, Javier Bardem, Marion Cotillard, Orlando Bloom, Paul Dano, Rosamund Pike, Thandie Newton and Tilda Swinton.