Not so long ago it seemed like we were heading toward a huge collapse of the Tolkien film legacy when New Line Cinema announced that they would never work with Peter Jackson again. The film version of The Hobbit appeared doomed. When Jackson announced he reached an agreement to produce the film, but wouldn’t return to the direct, I calmed down a bit.

While I would prefer the original The Lord of the Rings team to return in its entirety with Jackson directing, there have been further encouraging developments. Jackson chose director Guillermo del Toro to helm the two-part film. Del Toro, writer/director of the amazing Pan’s Labyrinth has shown he can handle the imaginative demands that adapting Tolkien takes. Now, we get news that Ian McKellen will likely reprise his role as Gandalf. I’m growing excited.