Sir Ian McKellen has been pretty vocal about wanting to reprise his role as Gandalf the Grey in a future adaptation of The Hobbit. And that enthusiasm hasn't diminished. Over on his official website, where he graciously answers fan questions on everything from Gandalf to Shakespeare, he reaffirmed that he would happily return to Middle Earth. I can't resist posting the entire exchange because of the brilliant Tolkien quote and the mental picture of McKellen reading it:Q: So has it come to pass, good Sir McKellen? Shall the dreaming masses with their musty books and their blackened pipes at long last hear those immortal words issue from under that famous nose? "Yes, yes, my dear sir --and I know your name, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. And you do know my name, though you don't remember that I belong to it. I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me! To think I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took's son, as if I was selling buttons at the door!" Looking about, I find I share the same hopes as millions of others, so I ask, a single query in a chorus ... Will you again be our Gandalf in The Hobbit now that the deal is settled?
A: Yes I will, if Peter Jackson and I have anything to do with it, he being the producer and me being, on the whole, a very lucky actor. I've just read your quote out loud -- fabulous speech.
A second fan essentially repeated the same question (but without the fabulous quote) and McKellen gave a very cheerful answer. "Encouragingly, Peter and Fran Walsh have told me they couldn't imagine The Hobbit without their original Gandalf. Their confidence hasn't yet been confirmed by the director Guillermo del Toro but I am keeping my diary free for 2009!"
I cannot imagine del Toro snubbing the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, or the entire LOTR fanbase by casting anyone else. There's no question as to who will be playing Gandalf, and I dream of the day in 2010 when I will see him sneakily drawing a rune on Bilbo Baggins' green door.
[via ComingSoon.net]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-26-2008 @ 9:42AM
Kevin said...
I would have to agree that this is a foregone conclusion. They couldn't possibly allow anyone else to play Gandalf. However, having said that I didn't believe that they would let anyone else besides Jackson direct it, and how'd that work out? Not that Del Toro isn't fantastic, but I just expected Jackson to return to put the finishing touches on his masterpiece.
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3-26-2008 @ 12:11PM
Tigerlily said...
It has been an age since we visited Hobbiton, and my heart skips a beat at the thought we may once again see Middle Earth in the not to distant future. Thank you for sharing that delightful exchange between McKellen and his fan.
I'm trying not to worry about the director issue, I too am surprised that Peter Jackson isn't doing it. That said, I do have to keep in mind, that LOTR was a huge undertaking, and Peter had 2 other directors helping him, and somehow they all managed to share one vision and work together. I'm putting my faith in Jackson, to make this work. He knows the devoted fan following eagerly waiting, I don't think he'll let us down.
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3-26-2008 @ 2:06PM
Moo said...
del Toro as director will be just fine, particularly with Peter exec'ing. You know this project will be near and dear to Peter's heart and he wont let it go awry if possible, and Pan showed that del Toro is more than capable (if not Peter, I personally think del Toro is an inspired choice to direct).
I'm more interested in who will be writing the screenplay. I'm hoping and praying it will be the same triumvirate who did LOTR (Peter, Fran, Philippa). The screenplay is going to be, i think, the greatest single factor determining whether these films work, particularly as the second film is supposed to be a bit of a bridge to LOTR if I understand correctly. The writers will have to take events only briefly mentioned in Tolkien's source material and expand upon them greatly in order for this to work. This, of course, is a tricky process and could lead to disaster if it doesn't "feel like Tolkien". I haven't seen confirmation anywhere as to who is going to write the screenplays (IMDB still has tolkien listed as the only writer), so if i missed news somewhere, please someone point me in the right direction.
I have faith that these films will be great, but I am anxious to see who is doing the writing.
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