Sir Ian Mckellen Returns As Gandalf

Sir Ian McKellen has confirmed that he will play Gandalf in the upcoming Hobbit movie, question marks were raised over wether the actor who played Gandalf in the Lord Of the Rings trilogy would return to the role for this new film, as Guillermo del Toro is directing the film, not Peter Jackson (although Jackson is producing the movie).

Mckellen confirmed reports during a set of fan questions on his official site:

FAN: “will you again be our Gandalf in The Hobbit now that the deal is settled?”
MCKELLEN: “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.”

A follow up question from another fan asked if the actor had been approached by the films makers yet:
MCKELLEN: “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!”

This is amazing news for Lord Of The Rings Fans, as a film without Mckellen as the aging wizard just wouldn’t be the same.

Sir Ian McKellen’s Official Site | Fan Questions.