Just yesterday, we brought you the news of Elijah Wood being set to reprise his role as Frodo Baggins in director Peter Jackson‘s forthcoming big-screen adaptation of The Hobbit. Actors, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving have been in talks to reprise their roles as Gandalf, Gollum / Smeagol and Elrond respectively.

Now, THR has confirmed that Ian McKellen has officially joined the cast of the film, to reprise his role as Gandalf, and Deadline has confirmed that Andy Serkis has also officially joined the cast to reprise his role as Gollum / Smeagol in the highly anticipated prequel to Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Production on The Hobbit is set to begin on February 14th in New Zealand.

The Hobbit: Part 1 is currently slated to hit theaters December 2012.

The Hobbit: Part 2 is currently slated to hit theaters December 2013.

The films star Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchette, Elijah Wood, Sylvester McCoy, Aidan Turner, Rob Kazinsky, Graham McTavish, John Callen, Ken Stott, Mikael Persbrandt, Ryan Gage, Jed Brophy, William Kircher and Stephen Hunter.