Ian McKellan
Ian McKellan says that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to be as exciting as The Lord of the Rings movies.
The actor is set to reprise the role of Gandalf as we return to Middle Earth this Christmas for the first time in almost a decade.
Peter Jackson is back in the director's chair for the movie and McKellan has praised the 3D work that he and his team have done on the film.
Speaking to BBC News the actor said: "I've seen enough of it to know it's going to be just as exciting as Lord of the Rings.
"In fact in some senses it's more exciting because it's in three dimensions."
"It's not the sort of crude 3D that comes out of the screen. Rather it brings you into Middle Earth. You see round the corners. You see everything."
The Hobbit is set to be released as a trilogy with the second and third parts coming in 2013 and 2014.
McKellan is joined on the cast list by Martin Freeman, who takes over the role of Bilbo, as well as Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett and Richard Armitage.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is released 14th December.
Tagged in The Hobbit Sir Ian McKellen