The Main Mage Returns: Gandalf is Heading Back to the Big Screen Where He Belongs! Yessss!

Well, Mortals, it's official: Sir Ian McKellen has re-upped as our Exalted Brother Gandalf for Peter Jackson's upcoming two-part The Hobbit. Doubtless me Brother and Sister Mages at TheOneRing.net are in party mode, because PJ has thus far gotten some of the old gang from the Trilogy back on board: Elijah Wood as Frodo, whose scenes in the film will be set before he, Bilbo and Gandalf will depart from the Grey Havens; Andy Serkis as Gollum (who will, I suspect, once again attempt to slither his way into stealing the show); and Cate Blanchett as Queen Galadriel, who stole Frodo's heart early on in the Trilogy. PJ is next hoping to land Orlando Bloom to return as Legolas, son of Thranduil, Elvenking of Mirkwood. Here's hoping.

This is precisely the good news YOU, loyal Hobbit fans, have long wished for. Now, if only we could get everything in greenlight mode, to say nothing of getting Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer financially back on track as well, maybe this whole business could get started in terms of principal photography and we could get at least ONE party happening!

But mine is not to reason why, much less speculate. Mine is to tell you Mortals what's what, who's who, and what in Merlin's name is going on in the world of Magecraft. Shall we boogie, then, goodly gentles?