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Ian McKellen Hints at Gandalf Return for New Amazon Series

Ian McKellen hinted he may return to his iconic role as Gandalf in a new Lord Of The Rings prequel series.

Amazon confirmed last month (Nov17) it had reached a deal with J.R.R Tolkien’s estate to expand the Lord of the Rings franchise in a new prequel series, with other potential spin-off projects.
The move is reportedly worth around $200 million.

McKellen starred as the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001, and the subsequent sequels The Two Towers in 2002 and The Return of the King in 2003.

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He also reprised his character for The Hobbit prequels, featuring in all three of Jackson’s films alongside Sherlock star Martin Freeman.

No casting announcements have been made by Amazon about the TV series, however McKellen is keen to still be involved with the sci-fi fantasy franchise.

During an interview with Graham Norton on his BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday (16Dec17), the 78-year-old was quizzed about the the prequel series.

Amazon are doing a TV series of Lord of the Rings,” host Norton began. “Now isn’t that annoying? That there’s going to be another Gandalf in town?”

“What do you mean, another Gandalf?” McKellen replied, prompting Graham to ask if that means he’s taking part. “I haven’t said yes because I haven’t been asked. But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it?

“Gandalf is over 7000 years old, so I’m not too old,” he joked.

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However, one Lord of the Rings star has ruled himself out from the Amazon series. Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Peter Jackson’s movies, will not be reprising his role.

“I don’t know if I’d want to go back into the Lord of the Rings realm,” he said. “I feel like I’ve spent a large chunk of my life doing that. I’ll say good luck and I think fresh eyes are probably a good thing.”

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