British acting knight Sir Ian McKellen will replace the late Richard Harris as Professor Albus Dumbledore in the third Harry Potter movie. The 63-year-old star, who also plays wizard Gandalf in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, is set to appear in the third installments of both rival films - after signing to take on the role of the Hogwarts headmaster in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban. McKellen takes over the role from Harris - who died of cancer in October. Movie bosses had hoped to cast Harris in the new film - which is due to begin filming in February - by using computer animation and film footage. But they found they did not have the required film available. Fellow Brit Christopher Lee - another Lord Of The Rings star - was among those tipped to replace Harris. A source on the Warner Bros movie set says, “Everyone has been sworn to secrecy about Ian McKellen getting the role of Dumbledore. One of the production staff let it slip and now it is spreading like wild fire. He got the part just before Christmas but Warner’s won’t announce it until the New Year. Bosses thought he was the perfect replacement for Harris and, as we all know, he is capable of playing the part of a wizard. They are not worried about people getting The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter confused. They are two very different films.”
All I got to say is YES!!! The guy will infuse new blood into a good character who was played well in the first 2 (but IMHO could have been better)
Um, no. Since ROTK comes out in December and Harry Potter is slated for February 2004, they’re not rivals. Also, many people will see both films, many times.
Despite the writer’s tendency to over-dramatize, it’s an interesting article.
There’s a certain “poetic” justice in the linkage of the two movies.
The name “Dumbledore” came from a poem by (who else?) J.R.R. Tolkien. His mock-epic poem “Errantry”, which was reprinted in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, had its hero fighting and defeating hosts of buzzing insects, among which were the “Dumbledors.”
He battled with the Dumbledors,
The Hummerhorns, and Honeybees,
And won the Golden Honeycomb; …
No, Dumbledore is an just old-English word for bumblebee. I think Rowling and Tolkien came to it each on their own. I have read in an interview Rowling saying it was just a word she liked the sound of.
Um guys, this is a rumor. Just like the one that went around a while back that Christopher Lee was absolutely positively going to be Dumbledore for sure.
Doesn’t the whole “someone let it slip” and “it’s spread like wildfire” thing set off your alarm bells like it does mine?
It hadn’t “spread like wildfire” until this article appeared. NOW it’s spreading.
It’s a totally unlikely rumour - I doubt very very much Sir Ian would agree to paly a wizard again. And frankly, it’s a bit of a dull role to play.
I think they should stick with the guy who played his double in the movie. The guy who does Dumbledore’s voice in the video games does a brilliant job of it, so maybe combine their talents.
When’s shooting set to begin? And when would he have met with the producers? 'cos Ian McKellan’s currently in Victoria, BC, filming an independent movie… He showed up to the Two Towers premier last week in Vancouver.
I like McKellen’s acting, but I hope it’s not him. He makes a great Magneto and Gandalf, but I don’t want to see him as Dumbledore.
I would prefer to see him doing something different, and I think it would be kind of tired to see him doing a wizard again, even if the role is completely different.
Oh, and Avalonian, the Christians who would have this problem are probably the ones complaining about Harry Potter being evil anyway, so I doubt the impact of a gay actor being on the show would make much of a difference to the regular complaints they make. It would just be additional fodder. If anything.
Epigramcracker, that rumour denial on McKellen’s website was from November 14, I believe. Things may have changed since… or not. This may be just gossip, too. Note also that it only says he hadn’t (at that time) agreed to the role… very careful language there, it seems to me. I still think it’s a possibility, but I won’t believe it until it’s confirmed.
Heloise, I thought of that too. I guess I just hate to think that they’ll have yet another point in their addled reasoning to rail against. sigh I was surprised at some of the criticism McKellen received about being a Gay Gandalf, I can only imagine that it would be an order of magnitude worse for Harry Potter.
I agree with Heloise. McKellen is just too near and dear to my heart after playing Magneto and especially Gandalf. I don’t really want to see him as Dumbledore. Not that I don’t like Harry Potter (it’s been a good warm-up for LotR these last two years) but Dumbledore is a pretty lifeless role as far as the movies go.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Christopher Lee play him though. I bet he would do a good job but he seems busy with reshooting for RotK and when does Episode III begin filming?
