McKellen, Serkis to reprise roles for 'Hobbit'

Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis have signed up to reprise their Lord of the Rings roles in The Hobbit, it has been revealed.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, McKellen has finally agreed to return as Gandalf for Peter Jackson's upcoming two-parter, while Deadline has also confirmed that Serkis will appear once more as Gollum.

Both characters feature in the original J.R.R. Tolkien novel - although Gandalf's role stretches across the book, whereas Gollum's involvement is confined to one chapter.

The pair join a number of Lord of the Rings cast members thought to be returning for the Warner Bros picture, including Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom and Cate Blanchett.

The Hobbit is due to start filming in New Zealand on February 14, and will be released in cinemas in December 2012 and December 2013.