Seems like more and more good news is coming out of this film as MGM picks itself up, piece by piece.
Sir Ian Mckellen recently spoke to Bolton News and was only qouted as saying "The aim is to start filming in January." Any good news to come out of this project is welcome, as The Hobbit has been hit with nothing but trouble since the start.
On a side note, with the filming date moved to January, that could prove that Peter Jackson has officially been hired to direct, as it would be a challenge for a new guy to rush through all that pre-production so soon. Del Toro even spent a year in pre-production. But this is just speculation.