A mixture of script secrecy and bad timing almost cost Ian McKellen two of his most well-known roles.
McKellen told People that he was offered a role in Mission: Impossible II, but the studio refused to let him see the whole script for fear of leaks. Against the advice of his agent, he turned the role down, despite the opportunity to work with Tom Cruise. The very next day he was contacted by both Bryan Singer for X-Men, and by Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings.
Even then, X-Men almost got in the way of the fantasy trilogy. "It had to delay, delay delay," said the actor. "So I had to call up Peter Jackson and say, 'I'm sorry. I can't play Gandalf because X-Men, which I agreed to do first, is overrunning.'"
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McKellen told People that he was offered a role in Mission: Impossible II, but the studio refused to let him see the whole script for fear of leaks. Against the advice of his agent, he turned the role down, despite the opportunity to work with Tom Cruise. The very next day he was contacted by both Bryan Singer for X-Men, and by Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings.
Even then, X-Men almost got in the way of the fantasy trilogy. "It had to delay, delay delay," said the actor. "So I had to call up Peter Jackson and say, 'I'm sorry. I can't play Gandalf because X-Men, which I agreed to do first, is overrunning.'"
Continue reading…
Continue reading...