Ian McKellen, who played the wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, says he’s eager to return to the role in the new movie adaptation of The Hobbit. Even though it won’t be directed by LOTR director Peter Jackson, McKellen told Reuters: “When Peter announced he had withdrawn from The Hobbit, he sent me an e-mail saying, ‘Because I am not going to do it, it doesn’t mean you have to do the same. Of course, you must play Gandalf whether I direct or not.’ I am glad to read that it is looking more and more likely…I would be disappointed if they didn’t want to have the original Gandalf.”
