Ian McKellen just can’t let go of Lord of the Rings.
And it seems he wants to play Gandalf in the new fantasy TV show.
During an interview with Graham Norton (via Variety), the 78-year-old Lord of the Rings star revealed that if Gandalf is coming back for the TV show, he wants to play him.
“I haven’t said yes because I haven’t been asked,” he explained. “But are you suggesting someone else is going to play it? Who would be suitable?”
Of course, Ian McKellen famously played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Not to mention the recent three-film adaptation of The Hobbit.
But at the age of 78, would he now be too old to reprise a more action-oriented role?
“Gandalf is over 7,000 years old,” said McKellen, “so I’m not too old.
The big question is whether or not Amazon – who is producing the upcoming TV show – would want McKellen to reprise the role. After all, they’re likely looking to recast all of the other members of the Fellowship… and the return of McKellen’s Gandalf could prove a bit distracting. That said, he’s also incredibly well-loved in the role, and he raises a very important question – could anyone else really take over as Gandalf?
Unfortunately, there’s been no word on casting since the project’s announcement, so we’ll likely have to wait a while before we find out who’s going to be playing our favourite elves and hobbits.
After all, it might turn out that they want a fresh new line-up.
Still, it’s pretty cool that’s Ian McKellen is still up for it – jokingly or not.
He made a wonderful Gandalf and whoever eventually steps into the role has enormous boots to fill. Let’s just hope that Amazon gets this right… and whoever does take over plays it with all the gravitas of McKellen’s earlier performance.
