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[ManaByte]

Ian McKellen: 'They better be quick if they want me to play Gandalf again!'

Sir Ian McKellen has spoken to the Big Issue about his recent fall, plus plans for time out ahead of return to iconic Gandalf role.

www.bigissue.com

“I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him,” McKellen tells this week’s Big Issue. “When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”

The movie is about Gandalf sending Strider on a quest to find Gollum, so it makes sense they'd want him to be in it.

 

[V1LÆM]

Deleted

 

[Bojji]

Bring Viggo back as well.

He looks good, with some makeup and de-aging tech it will look great:

 

[V1LÆM]

Deleted

 

[ManaByte]

Bring Viggo back as well.

He's already hinted he wants to come back.

 

[Bojji]

He still looks good. I assume that's a recent photo. Just dye his hair and he'll fit right back into it.

2023 Cannes.

He's already hinted he wants to come back.

Great. This movie will be worth watching just for this.

 

[SJRB]

This gives me Vietnam flashbacks to Robert deNiro playing a young guy in The Irishman.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

 

[Hudo]

Didn't Sir Ian McKellen say that it was horrible experience doing The Hobbit movies because of the amount of green screen he had to film against? I.e. that he fucking hated it to not act directly with the other actors on stage but rather pretend to be talking to the others because his stuff gets edited in or something?

If Serkis can organize the shoot in a way that allows for the actors to be on the same set at the same time, maybe Sir Ian would do it.

 

[V1LÆM]

Deleted

 

[Melon Husk]

I figured Gandalf is the reason this movie is happening at all, like Picard and Patrick Stewart.

Which is why I'm worried.

 

[SirKicksalot]

Didn't Sir Ian McKellen say that it was horrible experience doing The Hobbit movies because of the amount of green screen he had to film against? I.e. that he fucking hated it to not act directly with the other actors on stage but rather pretend to be talking to the others because his stuff gets edited in or something?

If Serkis can organize the shoot in a way that allows for the actors to be on the same set at the same time, maybe Sir Ian would do it.

He felt miserable while shooting the Bag End scenes alone and in his own words, he got over it. He had to talk to tennis balls which answered back (the dwarves were simultaneously playing in another room) and that was twisted into "he hates green screen". It was put on the Hobbit Appendices. It's not a green screen problem, it's an isolation problem on a specific set. A theater actor wouldn't complain about props, weird sets and responding to box speakers.

He talked about how the technology was invented as they were shooting the movie, so add the pressure and betrayed expectations to that. Now I doubt the Gollum movie will be as groundbreaking.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Didn't Sir Ian McKellen say that it was horrible experience doing The Hobbit movies because of the amount of green screen he had to film against?

Yes:

 

[ManaByte]

Didn't Sir Ian McKellen say that it was horrible experience doing The Hobbit movies because of the amount of green screen he had to film against? I.e. that he fucking hated it to not act directly with the other actors on stage but rather pretend to be talking to the others because his stuff gets edited in or something?

If Serkis can organize the shoot in a way that allows for the actors to be on the same set at the same time, maybe Sir Ian would do it.

That was done because the movie was filmed in 3D and the forced perspective they used in the LOTR movies with the Hobbits doesn't work with 3D cameras. They won't be doing that in this movie.

 

[Hudo]

He felt miserable while shooting the Bag End scenes alone and in his own words, he got over it. He had to talk to tennis balls which answered back (the dwarves were simultaneously playing in another room) and that was twisted into "he hates green screen". It was put on the Hobbit Appendices. It's not a green screen problem, it's an isolation problem on a specific set. A theater actor wouldn't complain about props, weird sets and responding to box speakers.

He talked about how the technology was invented as they were shooting the movie, so add the pressure and betrayed expectations to that. Now I doubt the Gollum movie will be as groundbreaking.

That was done because the movie was filmed in 3D and the forced perspective they used in the LOTR movies with the Hobbits doesn't work with 3D cameras. They won't be doing that in this movie.

Well. I wouldn't mind seeing him as Gandalf again!

 

[AJUMP23]

Didn't Sir Ian McKellen say that it was horrible experience doing The Hobbit movies because of the amount of green screen he had to film against?

I had a pretty horrible experience watching the hobbit.

 

[Hudo]

I had a pretty horrible experience watching the hobbit.

Same

 

[AJUMP23]

Same

I like the first film. But next two feel bloated. Film one should end at the escape of the elven jail in the barrels. Film 2 should have done Smaug and the 5 armies.

 

[Badlucktroll]

Just give Peter Jackson the rights to the silmarillion and beren and luthien and shit, i want to see his valinor

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I had a pretty horrible experience watching the hobbit.

I thought that trilogy would be horrible and quite boring... but they are not bad movies.

 

[AJUMP23]

I thought that trilogy would be horrible and quite boring... but they are not bad movies.

Well made movies just bloated the third movie is way to much filler and not enough killer.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Strider > Aragorn

Being back viggo!

 

[Tams]

I like the first film. But next two feel bloated. Film one should end at the escape of the elven jail in the barrels. Film 2 should have done Smaug and the 5 armies.

Thankfully, by bloating it, it does mean that there's plenty of footage for different cuts to be made, and fans made them they have.

 

[dsp]

Ian McKellen: 'They better be quick if they want me to play Gandalf again!'

Sir Ian McKellen has spoken to the Big Issue about his recent fall, plus plans for time out ahead of return to iconic Gandalf role.

www.bigissue.com

The movie is about Gandalf sending Strider on a quest to find Gollum, so it makes sense they'd want him to be in it.

I don't know the story but if they're going to have Ian McKellen act (not sure if there will ever be another person better than him for that role) then I hope the scenes aren't filled with a lot of green screen stuff. I remember seeing him getting quite depressed over the constant indoor green room CGI shooting for The Hobbit. For the sake of both cinema as an art and the health of crews and casts involved, it'd probably be best if they toned down on the constant cg stuff. Though I guess they've improved a lot of that stuff by having backgrounds and things casted onto walls or just giant screens or whatever now, last I remember anyway.

 

[IntentionalPun]

I see Hobbit in theaters and kept hearing like ghost voices in my ear the whole movie talking over the sound of a crackling fire. Asked my girlfriend at the time if she was hearing the same thing and she said no.

It got worse and worse, then on the way home I was still hearing it all.

Turned out I had a 105 degrees (US dumb units) fever lol

 

[Rat Rage]

What is this based on? Is this a completely new, non-canon story? I can't find much information about it...

 

[ManaByte]

What is this based on? Is this a completely new, non-canon story? I can't find much information about it...

In the books there's 17 years between Bilbo's birthday and Gandalf returning to Frodo. In eight years of that time Gandalf tasks Strider in tracking and finding Gollum. It's briefly outlined in Appendix B. Tolkien intended for it to be a chapter in Fellowship, and that text is included in Unfinished Tales.

 

[Bulletzen72]

In the books there's 17 years between Bilbo's birthday and Gandalf returning to Frodo. In eight years of that time Gandalf tasks Strider in tracking and finding Gollum. It's briefly outlined in Appendix B. Tolkien intended for it to be a chapter in Fellowship, and that text is included in Unfinished Tales.

Which is mental!
Because in the films it never gave the viewers the impression that Gandalf fucked off for 17 years between putting the ring in an envelope and sealing it with wax "Keep it secret. Keep it safe"- to returning after a wee visit to a library and returning to Frodo - "Is it secret? Is it safe??
I got the impression it was what? A year? At most?
Now they are going to make two films of what happened in that time?
Fuck off!
The Hobbit shite all over again!
Let it be!
Make something new! Make the Dan Simmons Hyperion cantos or some other property! Pisses me off!

 

[Punished Miku]

This is going to be The Hobbit x nostalgia callbacks x oddly old casting. Sounds doomed.

 

[IDKFA]

Ian McKellen: 'They better be quick if they want me to play Gandalf again!'

Sir Ian McKellen has spoken to the Big Issue about his recent fall, plus plans for time out ahead of return to iconic Gandalf role.

www.bigissue.com

The movie is about Gandalf sending Strider on a quest to find Gollum, so it makes sense they'd want him to be in it.

This film is a terrible idea.

One of the reasons the Hobbit movies failed is because they stretched out a 300 page novel into three films. It meant the writers had to go into fan fiction mode and create new characters and plot points to fill the gaps.

This is arguably worse. They're going to do another prequel not based on a book, but based on a section of Appendix A in LOTR!

 

[John Marston]

I worked out next to him and he's much more white than grey.

And from noticing in the showers he's still gay.

 

[IDKFA]

I worked out next to him and he's much more white than grey.

And from noticing in the showers he's still gay.

"Gandalf? Yes... that was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Gray. That was my name. *I* am Gandalf the Swollen. And I come back to you now - at the turn of the tide, to get some serious gains."

Spoiler

 

[Pegasus Actual]

What is this based on? Is this a completely new, non-canon story? I can't find much information about it...

Based on the smash hit Gollum video game...........................................................................................

 

[Toots]

If you think Hollywood is too inbred and creatively bankrupt, wait for the day producers learn edo tensei.

 

[Oberstein]

I love Ian McKellen, but I don't like the idea at all.

It was the same with Patrick Stewart. When he announced he was doing another Star Trek series, everyone was happy and... it was a disaster to see him dragging himself from scene to scene. For a lead role, he was too old and it was obvious.
It'll be worse with Gandalf, where he needs to have a minimum of energy.

So no, I hope it doesn't happen.

 

[GreenAlien]

Let these old actors rest and give some fresh ones a chance.

Sure, they will probably be replaced with diversity hires, but Arwen is going to be a girlboss and the main character anyway, so who cares...

 

[The Cockatrice]

Chances for this to end up good are null.

 

[mindfreak191]

While I love Ian as Gandalf, I fear it would produce the same effect as Christopher Lee in The Hobbit, he looked like he was going to exhale his soul in every scene lmao.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

 

[Diddy X]

Which is mental!
Because in the films it never gave the viewers the impression that Gandalf fucked off for 17 years between putting the ring in an envelope and sealing it with wax "Keep it secret. Keep it safe"- to returning after a wee visit to a library and returning to Frodo - "Is it secret? Is it safe??
I got the impression it was what? A year? At most?
Now they are going to make two films of what happened in that time?
Fuck off!
The Hobbit shite all over again!
Let it be!
Make something new! Make the Dan Simmons Hyperion cantos or some other property! Pisses me off!

It felt like a couple days to me lol

 

[Laptop1991]

Good, Ian owned the part, great actor, hopefully the script will be good as well.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Didn't Sir Ian McKellen say that it was horrible experience doing The Hobbit movies because of the amount of green screen he had to film against? I.e. that he fucking hated it to not act directly with the other actors on stage but rather pretend to be talking to the others because his stuff gets edited in or something?

It's probably much, much quicker to record against green screen though, so I can imagine he might have softened his stance a little.

If Serkis can organize the shoot in a way that allows for the actors to be on the same set at the same time, maybe Sir Ian would do it.

“I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him,” McKellen tells this week’s Big Issue. “When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”

Sounds like he's ready to sign on either way.

 

[Hudo]

It's probably much, much quicker to record against green screen though, so I can imagine he might have softened his stance a little.



Sounds like he's ready to sign on either way.

I'd love to see him as Gandalf again.

 

[ManaByte]

Arwen is going to be a girlboss

You mean like replacing a male character in the story and taking over his action scene?

 

[Oberstein]

You mean like replacing a male character in the story and taking over his action scene?

It could have been worse, like fighting at Helm's Deep alongside Aragorn.

 

[ManaByte]

It could have been worse, like fighting at Helm's Deep alongside Aragorn.

Which was only changed after it leaked to Aint it Cool News and Jackson and Tyler were flooded with death threats from the Talkback denizens. They still filmed it and one shot remains in the movie.

The earlier drafts were even worse. Originally Arwen joins the Fellowship at Rohan and Gimli and Legolas walk in on her and Aragorn fucking in the Glittering Caves.

 

[Oberstein]

Which was only changed after it leaked to Aint it Cool News and Jackson and Tyler were flooded with death threats from the Talkback denizens. They still filmed it and one shot remains in the movie.

The earlier drafts were even worse. Originally Arwen joins the Fellowship at Rohan and Gimli and Legolas walk in on her and Aragorn fucking in the Glittering Caves.

This Arwen is definitely a bad influence on the Fellowship.

All kidding aside, it's a good thing it was contained back then.

 

[ManaByte]

All kidding aside, it's a good thing it was contained back then.

Could you imagine it now? Holy shit.

 

[GateofD]

Looks like they're desperate after the panning of Rings of Power and bringing in star power to bring come credit back.
Like with RDJ for Dr.Doom, like I'm as hyped as anyone else, but disney marvel is definitely desperate to resuscitate their marvel films after a mess of whatever phrase they're on.

 

[AJUMP23]

What is this based on? Is this a completely new, non-canon story? I can't find much information about it...

There is a mention in the appendices where Aragorn under the direction of Gandalf goes and finds and captures Gollum and gets information out of him about what he told the dark lord.