A whole lot of good news has surfaced regarding the upcoming film adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

Andy Serkis is back as Gollum:

I’m told that Andy Serkis has closed his deal to bring back Gollum in The Hobbit, the two films that Peter Jackson will direct in New Zealand starting in February.

It’s safe to say that Serkis’ performance in The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of the most surprising and delightful aspects of the much-lauded movies. As with many of the actors in the films, Serkis has come to personify and define Tolkien’s character in the mind’s of many readers and filmgoers alike. The Hobbit wouldn’t be the same without him.

Ian McKellen is back as Gandalf the Grey:

Ian McKellen has signed on to return as wizard Gandalf in The Hobbit, the two-pic adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel being directed by Peter Jackson.

Like Serkis, it’s hard to imagine McKellen not filling the role of Gandalf. Even being so familiar with the books before the films were released, McKellen’s portrayal of Gandalf has replaced any original interpretation of the character that I originally conceived when first reading the novels as a child. It’s been long rumoured that McKellen was returning, so it’s comforting to finally have firm confirmation.

And, finally, Elijah Wood joins the film as Frodo Baggins:

TheOneRing.net can confirm that Elijah Wood will step in front of Peter Jackson’s cameras and return to Middle-earth for a part in ‘The Hobbit,’ — and we even know how. Despite how some fans will respond at first, the reasons are organic and natural and might not upset some of the most ardent purists.

You may be scratching your head about this one. Worry not. Jackson’s not shoehorning Frodo into The Hobbit, but rather he’s using Frodo as a frame for the story. The story will, by all accounts, open with Bilbo narrating There and Back Again to his young nephew.

After years of rocky development, it looks like we can finally begin to get excited about this project. It’s really happening, and all the right people seem to be involved.

From Durham’s blog:

It’s about Acacia 3…

Yesterday was my deadline for submitting the finished manuscript to my editor. It’s now fair for you to ask me if… I… actually… finished… the… damn… thing…

My answer…

Yes.

[…]

I also can’t say for certain that this title will stick, but at the moment we’re calling the book…

The Sacred Band: Book Three of the Acacia Trilogy

Good news for fans of Durham’s Acacia trilogy. I’ve not read The Other Lands, but I very much enjoyed Acacia: The War with the Mein (REVIEW, pardon the newbieish of the writing) when it was first released and look forward to being able to finish reading the trilogy in a reasonable amount of time. Durham might not be as quick as Brandon Sanderson or Daniel Abraham, but it’s nice to see yet another Fantasy author who can write short(ish), contained series and deliver them in a reasonable amount of time.

In response to the news, Robert V.S. Redick, author of The River of Shadows, made some noise about Durham and his series:

If you haven’t read Acacia or The Other Lands (Books I & II respectively), you’ve got something special waiting for you. David writes with terrific flair, intelligence & generosity. His characters are complex & mercurial; heroes erode into villains; villains compete for our sympathies even when their actions make us cringe. The world they inhabit is fascinating and diverse. The books show just how much epic fantasy can accomplish, how resonant it can be with our own lives. I can’t wait for the final installment.

Almost all of which I agree with. If you’re a fan of George R.R. Martin or Guy Gavriel Kay, it’s hard not to recommend Durham’s trilogy. It’s good stuff.

From Abercrombie’s blog (via The Mad Hatter’s Book Bookshelf & Book Review):

Therefore stand amazed as I announce that I last year signed a contract with my doughty UK publisher, Gollancz, for four more books set in the world of The First Law. That’s right. FOUR MORE BOOKS. Twice two. Or more accurately, one plus three, since at the moment, those books are looking like they’ll be another semi-standalone in the style of Best Served Cold and The Heroes, followed by another trilogy, though obviously I reserve the right to be coy and change my mind, possibly while flouncing out of a meeting. It’s a lady’s privilege, don’t you know.

In terms of timescale things are still a little hazy. I’ve been writing at the rate of about a book every 18 months or so, so one might reasonably expect the first of these books to appear on shelves sometime around the summer 2012 sort of a mark, but obviously I reserve the right to be coy and completely miss a date even that vague.

Good news to start off the year. It’s interesting (and a testament to Abercrombie’s popularity) that Gollancz has signed him to a deal without any actual plans laid out for the novels. It’s easy to suppose that the first of these will be the Fantasy/Western mash-up that Abercrombie’s spoken of before; more interesting, however, is whether the planned trilogy will return to Abercrombie’s many-times-visited world or strike off in a new direction. Despite my reservations for Best Served Cold, I’ve always felt that Abercrombie’s abilities lend themselves very well to stand-alone novels, so, in a way, I wouldn’t mind hearing that he changes his mind and continues his current trend of one-off novels.

The Wise Man’s Fear was worth waiting for. It’s about as good as this kind of fantasy can possibly get.

Lucky duck Jo Walton, author of Farthing and Among Others, appears to know the right people. Her review on Tor.com is the first of many, many reviews for Patrick Rothfuss’ The Wise Man’s Fear, a novel whose level of anticipation is matched only by George R.R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons and Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s A Memory of Light.

What does Walton think of The Wise Man’s Fear?

There’s a lovely sequence of events, including some things I didn’t see coming. There are some lovely clever things. We learn a lot more about some things mentioned briefly in the frame in the first volume, like the Fae, swords, lots of things. It’s all light and easy to read and easy to absorb and be absorbed by. There are books that leave you feeling wrung out, and there are books that leave you feeling like you’ve had a vacation. This is definitely the latter kind.

[…]

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of immersing myself completely in the world and the events. It’s such a great world, and the people are like real people, and what happens is endlessly entertaining. The only caveat I have is that there’s likely to be another long wait for the third one. But…it’s worth it.

Jealous yet? There are, of course, no spoilers, but Walton’s enthusiasm for the novel is clear. After so many setbacks and rocky revisions, it’s heartening to see that Rothfuss’ hard work might have paid off. March, 2011 can’t come soon enough!

Well, we can put that one in the books! George R.R. Martin has confirmed that principal photography has been completed on A Game of Thrones, the television adaptation of his revolutionary A Song of Ice and Fire.

Martin on the next step in production:

Which is not to say the work is done. Now comes editing, special effects, scoring, and all the other behind-the-scenes stuff that makes up post production. The cast and crew get to go home for a while; for the producers, the road goes ever on and on.

And, geez… doesn’t it seem like just yesterday that we were hearing rumblings of HBO looking into the series? That casting was underway? That the pilot was written? And now the first season is done. I can almost taste the bloody show!