Could the MGM Delays on the Hobbit claim another key player to the game. Gandalf isn’t getting any younger, and Sir Ian McKellan, happily performing on stage says he wont wait forever.
Guillermo del Toro recently left, meaning there is no director. The studio are trying to convince Peter Jackson to take the helm. Meanwhile, Hobbiton has been rebuilt and Sir Ian McKellan is over in New Zealand in the play Waiting for Godot.
With no exact date for filming to begin McKellan makes it known in th clip below that he won’t wait around forever.
So if it takes too long, Sir Ian may walk too? I have always said that ANY role is replaceable, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
I predict that this movie will NOT be made for some time, but it will be made.
Time Warner has a generous offer on the table to buy MGM outright, but its debtors don’t like the number. They might have to flinch soon and give in if they want to get any money at all.
The Hobbit is the biggest potential film who’s fate lies in the balance.
It would be a shame, of course, but somehow The Hobbit would go forward. I mean, there are only two significant roles that repeat from LOTR (not counting Bilbo, because of the age disparity). Gandalf and Gollum. The movie can be made a few years down the road without Sir Ian and Andy Serkis. But I still hope they both are in it.
I really, sincerely hope that Sir Ian McKellan wont leave. Any role is replaceable, except for his. He is Gandalf. Such a brilliant actor.
All actors are replaceable. Even this one.
skills can be replaced. there is never the same skill; however what fans will miss is the actor’s overall demeanor. His accent, his presence, this stance, his stature, and the overall likeness of the character he portrays.
when i found out that old guy from Harry Potter died i didnt know until the 3rd film. my fiew of the character changed however and the likeness of the film began to change because in a way it shows that it was not planned. If something isnt planned then its last second, or a backup.
which do you prefer, the primary plan?
or…
The back-up plan?
Sometimes the actor we get IS the backup plan.
Sometimes an actor gets replaced and its far better. Sometimes its not.
There are no absolutes in film.
All actors may be replaced, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily replaceable. What I mean by that is that, sure, someone else could take the Gandalf part, but almost no one else could play it the same way… which also means it would be difficult to fill that role and have it be anywhere near as good. Imagine someone else playing the Joker in The Dark Knight. Other people could have played it, no one could have done it like Heath Ledger, at least anywhere near as effectively.
Take Jack Nicholson’s Joker. People said no one would do better than that. Heath did and now people say no one will do better than him.
Any actor is replaceable, and while it might be harder than some I really believe that no matter how good you are at something, there is always someone out there better than you.
Yes, Gandalf will be tough to replace – but not impossible.