Guillermo del Toro’s Lord of the Rings prequels have a start date, and it’s not far away. Sir Ian McKellan, who will be one of the few Lord of the Rings actors also set to appear in The Hobbit confirmed it on his website. Here’s Ian:

THE HOBBIT's, two films, start shooting in New Zealand in June. Filming will take over a year. Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth. The director Guillermo del Toro is now living in Wellington, close to the Jacksons' and the studio in Miramar.

UPDATE! McKellan's website has been updated to say filming actually starts in July.