Empire magazine talked to Sir Ian McKellen about reprising Gandalf in The Hobbit and it’s sequel. Here’s the update he gave about the Guillermo del Toro-directed films:
“The scripts for the two films will be delivered very soon,” he revealed. “Then they’ll be budgeted, and then they’ll be cast. And they’ll be going when they’ve always said they would be, which is next spring March or April. Guillermo even told me at one point, ‘We’re going to film for 383 days.’ He’s got that artistic autism! Jackson’s the same; they’re very, very, very alike. They also very different, but they’ve so much in common. They both can’t stand Hollywood and have wonderful imaginations, and they’re both obsessed with gore and fantasy. Both of them laugh a great deal. Guillermo’s one of the most brilliant men I’ve ever met. His English vocabulary is way superior to mine!”
You can read more of what he had to say, including his thoughts on the “X-Men” spin-off Magneto, by clicking here!
UPDATE: TheOneRing.net adds that Ian McKellen was a guest of UK’s Channel 4 Paul O’Grady Show today and confirmed that he has received “both” scripts. He says that “Lord of the Rings” cast members will be returning, but he doesn’t know who will play Bilbo, though he believes it will be an English actor.
