The Hobbit - The Hobbit Cast Grows With Addition Of Andy Serkis And Sir Ian Mckellen

MCKellen's inclusion will mark his first live-action starring role in five years, after dedicating himself to voice work since appearing in the 2006 movie 'X-Men: The Last Stand'. However, 46-year-old Serkis has been involved in a number of high profile productions, most notably the Simon Pegg comedy 'Burke and Hare' and the Ian Dury biopic 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll'. It has also been reported that Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom have all been approached with offers to appear in the much anticipated movie. The UK's Sun newspaper report that Bloom has been offered more than $1 million to return as 'Legolas' for a two-minute cameo.

'The Hobbit' is set to be released in two parts and both movies will be shot back-to-back starting in February 2011.