Soon after actor Richard Harris died, there was a lot of talk that Ian McKellen — another premier British actor — could take over the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films. For McKellen, however, it was never an option. “People say to me, ‘Don’t you wish you’d played Dumbledore? I say, ‘No!’ I played Gandalf. The original.” McKellen shared those comments with Ireland Online about this character from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But McKellen’s refusal to take on the role seemed to have more to do than simply what character from which franchise was superior. No Regrets For McKellen In Turning Down Harry Potter
Day: November 29, 2007
ROYERSFORD, Pa. (AP) – Shooting is under way in Montgomery County for a Hollywood movie. A stretch of Main Street in the tiny community of Royersford has been made over for “The Lovely Bones,” directed by Peter Jackson. Publicist Claire Raskind says the production needed a certain authenticity, and many of the buildings in Royersford still resemble those of the 1970s. The ones that don’t, Raskind says, have been painted so they do look like those of the era. Furniture store operator Roger Lebow says the movie crews have added a Chinese restaurant and have turned a former gas station into a bus depot. The movie has been in production in the Philadelphia suburbs for about a month, but shooting in Royersford began Wednesday. “The Lovely Bones” is due out in early 2009.
From backstage.com: Focus Features, Back Stage West, and The Hollywood Reporter invite you to join Eastern Promises star Viggo Mortenson (A History of Violence) for a screening on Thursday, Dec. 6, in Los Angeles. A crime thriller from A History of Violence director David Cronenberg, Eastern Promises tells the story of Nikolai (Mortensen), a mysterious driver for one of London’s most notorious crime families. When Nikolai crosses paths with a young midwife, he finds his loyalties tested as he is drawn into the family’s dark secrets. Continue reading “An Evening With … Viggo Mortenson”
deej wrote in to let us know that PJ ranked number 16 in EW.com‘s The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood. PJ’s entry
Meghan S. Rodberg, Online Community Manager for Turbine, Inc. writes: Dol Haedir, found in the far in the north-west reaches of Evendim, plays host to the vicious Gauredain, wild men who have long troubled this region. Travellers would be well-advised to avoid Dol Haedir unless they are prepared to meet these vicious eaters of flesh. Exploring Middle-earth: Dol Haedir