Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen and Gabriel Byrne to Star in ‘Hamlet Revenant’
Ian McKellen and Gabriel Byrne to Star in ‘Hamlet Revenant’
Ian McKellen and Gabriel Byrne to Star in ‘Hamlet Revenant’
Ian McKellen is one of the most esteemed board-treaders alive, a thespian who has consistently and successfully balanced work on the stage with appearances before the camera. At 77, he’s had the chance to assay some of history’s great Shakespearean roles, portraying everyone from Macbeth to Coriolanus to Richard III. And today brings the news that a new project will allow him to blend his passions for the proscenium and the closed set in a revisiting of a signature role that McKellen last tackled way back in 1971.
Ian McKellen Reveals Why He Turned Down Playing Dumbledore After Richard Harris Died
Ian McKellen Reveals Why He Turned Down Playing Dumbledore After Richard Harris Died
Ian McKellen Reveals Why He Turned Down Playing Dumbledore After Richard Harris Died
Hearts broke across the world for Harry Potter fans when Richard Harris died in 2002. Warner Bros. was only two movies deep into the eight-film franchise and they’d already lost the perfect Dumbledore. The British actor embodied J.K. Rowling’s beloved character in every way, from his patient and wise demeanor to his half-moon spectacles and long white beard. Then Michael Gambon took over as the Hogwarts headmaster and infamously displeased many fans. (For the record, I still loved Gambon’s Dumbledore so there’s a hot take for ya.) But what if the man behind another iconic wizard had taken over for Harris instead?

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