Sunday, June 21, 2026

Ian McKellen Waiting for “Hobbit” Papers

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Sir Ian McKellen was one of the many celebs at the “Les Miz” 25th anniversary show on Sunday night at London’s O2 Arena.

Just finished with a stage production of “Waiting for Godot,” Sir Ian is now Waiting for Peter Jackson. He’s supposed to appear in Jackson’s “Hobbit” movie, and is hopeful that the lawyers involved will have papers for him to sign soon so he can reprise the pivotal role of Gandalf.

“It’s still a matter of MGM and Warner Bros. sorting things out, but I’m told they’re close.”

Sir Ian also told me that he’s never heard a word from anyone about the upcoming reboot of “X Men.” McKellen has played Magneto in the first three films.

“The last I heard, nothing was happening. Then I read about the new production.” Likewise, he hasn’t heard about the new “Wolverine” or anything new from the Marvel-Fox productions.

Sir Ian was busting with pride about “Les Miz” and the fantastic 25th anniversary show put on Sunday night by Cameron Mackintosh. “And it’s British!” he declared. “Americans aren’t the only ones who can do musicals.”

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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