Every network with millions of dollars to spare is on a fantasy quest to find the next Game of Thrones. Amazon's answer is to go with something familiar and iconic: Lord of the Rings. The streaming service reportedly shelled out the big bucks to create their own Lord of the Rings TV series. Not much is known about the project, but it's hard to picture Lord of the Rings without Gandalf. It's equally hard to picture Gandalf without Ian McKellen, so is the star open to reprising his role for the show? Well, he's not entirely ruling it out. Here's what he said:
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.
Amazon is developing a Lord of the Rings TV show for a multi-season deal. The series will be set before J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring, but it's not entirely known if the series will connect to the movies or if it's a new version of the classic tale with an all-new cast to play familiar characters like Legolas and Aragorn. Either way, new actors may need to be brought in, especially if anyone doesn't wish to reprise their role. Ian McKellen has played Gandalf in a whopping total of six movies, and while the actor had previously made statements that he was likely done with the role, his new comments suggest that he isn't against the idea of reprising the old wizard.
Appearing as a guest on Graham Norton's BBC Radio 2 show, Ian McKellen was asked by Norton what he thought about the possibility of a new actor taking over Gandalf. "Amazon are doing a TV series of Lord of the Rings", said Norton, "Now isn't that annoying? That there's going to be another Gandalf in town?"
The Lord of the Rings TV show is still in the earliest stages of development, but Ian McKellen said that he hasn't had any conversations about appearing on the show. However, he was a little aghast at the idea of someone else doing the role. Gandalf is over 7,000 years old after all, still well within McKellen's age range. You hear that, Amazon? The balls in your court now! How you move forward from here is entirely up to you.
Ian McKellen as Gandalf is one of the best things about Lord of the Rings (and the absolute best thing in the Hobbit prequels), so having him be a part of the show, even for just a cameo, could be considered a win. Stick with CinemaBlend for all future news concerning the Lord of the Rings series on Amazon. In the meantime, keep track of all upcoming TV releases with our midseason premiere schedule.
