…according to Gandalf. And Gandalf’s a fairly reliable fellow.

Here’s the MTV.com link.

It’s amazing to think that by the time The Hobbit opens in theaters, more than a decade will have passed since the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Ian Holm will be more than ten years older than he was when he played Bilbo in those scenes of the birthday party. Perhaps that has something to do with why he won’t be playing the younger Bilbo. Right now, casting decisions are being made, and some lucky actor’s career will be transformed by a pair of fake hobbit feet.

Still, this just doesn’t seem right, since Gandalf, upon greeting Bilbo in The Fellowship of the Ring, declares “You haven’t aged a day.”

Here’s hoping they find an actor that can do an Ian Holm impression that’s so convincing, it would persuade even Gandalf himself.