Gandalf, Gollum Actors Respond To Amazon's New Lord Of The Rings TV Show

After reportedly paying a quarter of a billion dollars for the Lord of the Rings TV rights alone, Amazon is moving forward with a prequel to Peter Jackson's acclaimed movie trilogy. No casting announcements have been made for the series and it remains to be seen which characters might appear in the show. That hasn't stopped fans from wondering if certain beloved characters from Jackson's trilogy might appear, including Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and Gollum (Andy Serkis). Both actors have now responded to the announcement of Amazon's show--and they had different responses.

As reported by DigitalSpy, McKellan said on a recent appearance on Graham Norton's Radio 2 show that he has not been asked to be a part of Amazon's new show. He sounded put-off by the idea that someone else might play the wise wizard. "What do you mean, another Gandalf?" McKellen said when Norton asked if he was upset that someone else would get to play the character.

"I haven't said yes because I haven't been asked," he added. "But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it?"

McKellan went on to astutely point out that he's not too old to play Gandalf again because the character is over 7,000 years old. "Gandalf is over 7000 years old, so I'm not too old [yet]," he explained.

As for Serkis, the Gollum actor told The Hollywood Reporter that he doesn't plan to return to The Lord of the Rings series, so the producers might have to find someone else if the creature is part of the new show. "I don't know if I'd want to go back into the Lord of the Rings realm," he said. "I feel like I've spent a large chunk of my life doing that. I'll say good luck and I think fresh eyes are probably a good thing."

That's too bad, considering Serkis did an astounding job bringing Gollum to life. But at the same time, it is understandable that he would want to move on.

Little in the way of specifics is known about the Lord of the Rings show, but we do know it will be set before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. The universe that Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien created is absolutely massive, so there are countless opportunities for great stories to be told; it's exciting to think about.

Peter Jackson directed the three Lord of the Rings movies in the early 2000s. Together, they made more than $2.9 billion globally, with the final instalment, The Return of the King, picking up 11 Oscars including Best Picture. Jackson went on to direct the three Hobbit films.

While no new films have been announced, a movie aboutTolkien's relationship with with his wife Edith Bratt and his time in World War I is in the pipeline. Another film will explore the author's relationship with Narnia writer C.S. Lewis and how he helped convert Lewis to Christianity.

In video game news, Middle-earth: Shadow of Warlaunched in October for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. You can read GameSpot's review here.