Profile
Famous as :
ActorBirth Name :
Ian Murray McKellenBirth Date :
May 25, 1939Birth Place :
Burnley, Lancashire, EnglandClaim to fame :
As James Whale in "Gods and Monsters" (1998)
Ian McKellen Talks 'The Hobbit' Script
November 03, 2009 03:11:00Ian McKellen has finally read the script for "The Hobbit", and he shared that producer Peter Jackson and his co-scribblers, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, have written the Gandalf screenplay specifically for him. The 70-year-old gushed about the matter to Sci Fi Wire while promoting AMC's "The Prisoner".
"As Peter has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for The Hobbit] because they knew who they were writing him for," the actor who will be seen reprising his role as Gandalf said. "There are a lot of characters in The Hobbit including, crucially, Bilbo, and they don't know who's going to play Bilbo. So it's extremely attractive that this part has been written for me."
Ian McKellen: 'The Hobbit' Scripts to 'Be Delivered Very Soon'
October 14, 2009 10:10:41Having starred as Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Ian McKellen is set to reprise the role in "The Hobbit", and he has a few tidbits to spill on the status of the two films adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel. "The scripts for the two films will be delivered very soon," the 70-year-old actor told Empire at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
"Then they'll be budgeted, and then they'll be cast," the two-time Academy Award nominee continued. "And they'll be going when they've always said they would be, which is next spring - March or April. [Director] Guillermo [del Toro] even told me at one point, 'We're going to film for 383 days.' He's got that artistic autism!"
Bilbo Baggins of 'The Hobbit' Has Reportedly Been Cast
August 24, 2009 10:08:49"The Hobbit" has reportedly found the actor to play its titular role. Upon receiving an e-mail from Ringer spy Olli, The One Ring reported that actor Ian McKellen was the one who broke the news while making an appearance at a special marathon screening for the extended editions of all three "Lord of the Rings" films at London's BFI IMAX cinema on Saturday, August 22.
According to Olli, the actor who plays wise wizard Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy revealed that he knows who will take on the starring role. However, he was keeping tight lips on whether or not "Atonement" actor James McAvoy is the one who will carry out the Bilbo Baggins character.
Casting Confirmation for 'The Hobbit'
June 12, 2009 01:06:36Director Guillermo del Toro has apparently secured the three "The Lord of the Rings" actors he wants for "The Hobbit". In a new interview on BBC Radio, the man behind "Hellboy" and its feature series has confirmed the joining of Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving to the project.
Revealing the casting to Simon Mayo of BBC Radio 5, the 44-year-old filmmaker gushed McKellen, Serkis and Weaving will return "...as the roles they originated in the trilogy". That means McKellen will once again take on the role of wise wizard Gandalf, Serkis will reprise his role as Gollum, and Weaving will portray once more the Master of Rivendell, Lord Elrond.
Guillermo Del Toro on 'The Hobbit' Casting
October 15, 2008 02:10:37After opening up about his vision on the creatures of "The Hobbit", dragon Smaug and Wargs, director Guillermo Del Toro speaks out about what he knows of the casting. Talking to MTV, the 44-year-old fesses up that no one has definitely come on board the project though he and his crew have in mind some of the potential actors.
Asked whether Hugo Weaving will be cast as Elrond once again, Del Toro reveals that he has the intention to approach the star as well as other "Lord of the Rings" actors, like Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen. "Oh yeah. We have to approach him - of course," he says. "Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen - they all must be approached to do the movie."
Gandalf Might Not Be Resurrected in 'Hobbit' Without Ian McKellen?
March 28, 2008 08:03:04As English actor Ian McKellen expressed his wish to reprise his role as the wise wizard character Gandalf in the upcoming "The Hobbit", it is unveiled that the character made famous by the 68-year-old actor in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy may not be resurrected without him. In an earlier interview, the actor who has also appeared in "X-Men" series let out that the film producers want him to portray the character once again.
On the matter, the "Stardust" narrator explained, "Encouragingly, ['LOTR' director] Peter [Jackson] and [co-writer] Fran Walsh have told me they couldn't imagine 'The Hobbit' without their original Gandalf." However, on the conflicting side, the actor who has been dubbed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his work and contributions to the theater revealed that he has yet to be called by the adventure fantasy helmer Guillermo del Toro. "Their confidence hasn't yet been confirmed by the director Guillermo Del Toro but I am keeping my diary free for 2009!" said McKellen positively.
Lord of the Rings Wizards Said to Make Golden Compass Cameos
October 08, 2007 12:10:38
Big buzz is circulating now on the high profile names to make their cameos in New Line Cinema's upcoming fantasy "The Golden Compass." A scooper for questeoscurematerie.it has brought up a tidbit saying that Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee, who both played the wizards in the phenomenal "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, are taking parts in the flick, which will open in theaters this December on date 7.
McKellen is said to fill in the voice of Iorek Byrnison, the armored Polar Bear that comes to the aid of Lyra Belacqua. The thing is, Iorek's voice has already been credited to British actor Nonso Anozie, so hopefully the new trailer for the movie set to hit this Tuesday, October 9, will explain all.
The 34th Annual Annie Awards Champs
February 12, 2007 02:02:12
Held its Annie Awards for the thirty-fourth time, ASIFA-Hollywood, the Burbank-based chapter of the International Animated Film Society, bestowed prizes to best achievements in animation yesterday, February 11, at the Alex Theater in Glendale, California.
Though handing out the top prize of Best Animated Feature to Disney/Pixar's "Cars", the organization turned out to put favor on "Flushed Away", as it gave the DreamWorks/Aardman Animations production most awards at the event.
Ian McKellen Spatters Some "Stardust"
January 03, 2007 11:01:20
Ready for more voice acting after that in "Flushed Away", Ian McKellen is set to fill in the narrator role in "Stardust", a fantasy adventure feature of Paramount Pictures production, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed.
Directed by "Layer Cake" helmer Matthew Vaughn, the project has wrapped its production in the fall with cast that includes Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, Michelle Pfeiffer, plus Robert De Niro. McKellen himself is attached to record his part during post-production before the flick's scheduled release date on July 27 this year.
The 34th Annual Annie Awards Nominees Unveiled
December 05, 2006 10:12:08
The racing to be the best has already begun for animated features as International Animated Film Society ASIFA-Hollywood announced Monday, December 4 the nominees of its 34th annual Annie Awards set to take place at the Alex Theater in Glendale, California on February 11, 2007.
Leading the nominations were DreamWorks Animation's "Flushed Away" and Disney/Pixar's "Cars" which each earned nine nods; the former landed those for writing, storyboarding, and voice acting for Ian McKellen to name few while the latter scored in Best Animated Feature and Best Directing in an Animated Feature Production Categories among others.
"Da Vinci" Opened at the 59th Cannes Film Festival
May 18, 2006 03:05:28
Despite the worldwide controversy it has caused, the highly anticipated drama mystery thriller "The Da Vinci Code" opened Wednesday May 17th, 2006 at the 59th Cannes Film Festival.
Attending the premiere among others were Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen and Paul Bettany.
