OK, so The Lord of the Rings Amazon TV series is definitely happening and should, if handled correctly, fill that Game of Thrones shaped hole in your heart when Jon Snow finally dies heroically saving Westeros in 2019 (or whatever, your guess is as good as ours...).
The point of all this, is that a whole new host of actors are likely to be taking over the roles that made the likes of Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen and someone called Sean Bean famous in the early Noughties.
But one of the original cast members, at least, isn't looking forward to the prospect of being replaced. Speaking on Graham Norton's radio show this weekend, McKellen reacted to the news that there's set to be a new Gandalf in town...\
"What do you mean, another Gandalf?" McKellen boomed.
Would he take the role back? "I haven't said yes because I haven't been asked," the actor continued. "But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it? Gandalf is over 7000 years old, so I'm not too old [yet]."
So there you have it, Sir Ian is ready and waiting. And not only is he easily the best on-screen wizard of all time, he deserves a chance to go out on a high after the abysmal Hobbit trilogy, too. Amazon, let's make it happen.
