Ian McKellen As GandalfThanks to message board member Theodred for alerting us to this story from scifiwire.com: Ian McKellen, whom we expect will put on Gandalf’s gray robes in director Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming Hobbit movies, tells us he’s finally read the script for the films. And, no, he won’t tell us much about it, except that producer Peter Jackson (who co-wrote the script with longtime Lord of the Rings collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, as well as del Toro) wrote it specifically for him.

“As Peter has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for The Hobbit] because they knew who they were writing him for,” McKellen told us exclusively in an interview last week while promoting AMC’s The Prisoner. “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. The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. There’s lots for me to enjoy, in all sorts of ways. And I couldn’t be happier. But I’m sworn to secrecy. I’m not to say anything at all about the script.” More..

Shannon writes: Thanks to your reporting I found out about Sir Ian attending the Shakespeare Gala in DC. It was several days after my twenty-first birthday, so I approached my parents asking them if we could make the trek there from New York as my present, and much to my surprise, they agreed. They are well aware of my goal to meet the entire Fellowship and have helped me meet five so far, so it seemed like a great idea to them to help me meet such an awesome number six for my birthday. Continue reading “Sir Ian McKellen Shakespeare Gala Report”

mckellen_pengilley_104842astormcrow20 sends us word that Sir Ian McKellen is set to appear on both The View and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, November 5, 2009.

sir-Christopher-Lee-recei-002All of us at TheOneRing.net would like to offer our warmest congratulations to *Sir* Chrstopher Lee for this well-deserved honor! 

Finding oneself opposite a tall, baleful celluloid vampire would have most people reaching for a head of the most pungent Spanish garlic, a large crucifix or a sharp stake. The Prince of Wales, however, opted for a ceremonial sword, even as the 1.95-metre (6ft 5ins) vision of Count Dracula leaned worryingly close to the royal neck. Fortunately, the prince had little to fear. Christopher Lee – aka Counts Dracula and Dooku, not to mention Lord Summerisle and the Duc de Richleau – had been invited to Buckingham Palace today to receive a knighthood for his services to drama and to charity. The 87-year-old is one of cinema’s most prolific actors, appearing in more than 250 films over the course of a career that has so far spanned 61 years. More..

Ian McKellenTaylor writes: The November issue of DETAILS hits stands this week, and we Legendary British actor Ian McKellen. McKellen opens up to DETAILS about coming out, getting ink and making the bible gay-friendly, one copy at a time. More..

Ian McKellenA theatrical legend is in the Capital City looking to inspire the future of the entertainment world. Sir Ian McKellen, who is most notably known for his role as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and Magneto mag-neat-oh from X-Men, spoke with FSU theatre students Tuesday afternoon sharing his journey from live theatre to the silver screen. “it’s unbelievable. Especially since he’s an Oscar nominated actor, he’s been in Oscar movies, it’s just so unbelievable,” says FSU Theatre student Alyssa Morris. More..