The Secret Behind Ian McKellen’s Potential Return as Gandalf Revealed
If he was offered a part as Gandalf in “The Hunt for Gollum,” it wouldn’t be Ian McKellen’s first return to Middle-earth. The actor donned the pointy hat and weathered robes over a decade ago when Peter Jackson and company brought the band back together to create the “Hobbit” trilogy. McKellen’s character features heavily in that story as he prods Martin Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins out of Bag End and across Northern Middle-earth in search of adventure.
Ian McKellen: The Ageless Gandalf
It’s interesting to note that McKellen’s counterpart in that story, Saruman, was also played by the returning (and similarly aging) Sir Christopher Lee. Lee died in 2015, one of just a handful of “The Lord of the Rings” actors who had passed away by that time. But McKellen? He just kept on going.
Ian McKellen’s Potential Return in “The Rings of Power” Series
Along with an otherwise busy career, he even found time to express interest in another return to Middle-earth in Amazon Studios’ “The Rings of Power” series. In an interview before Season 1 came out, McKellen explained how he felt. “I haven’t said yes because I haven’t been asked,” he said, echoing his “Hunt for Gollum” comments.
The Debate: Is Ian McKellen Too Old for Gandalf?
He added that Gandalf was clearly his role and no other man’s by saying, “But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it?” (For the record, the jury is still out if Daniel Weyman’s “The Stranger” character in “The Rings of Power” is, indeed, Gandalf or not.) Even at that time, McKellen was already hedging his bets against criticism that he was too old for the part. “Gandalf is over 7,000 years old, so I’m not too old [yet],” he warned.