Ian McKellen addresses long-running rumours David Bowie nearly played Gandalf

12 May 2026, 15:00

Sir Ian McKellen (left) has addressed long-running rumours that David Bowie (right) was once considered for the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. Picture: Getty

By Giorgina Hamilton

The actor revealed how the late music icon may have brought a completely different energy to the legendary wizard role.

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Sir Ian McKellen has addressed long-running rumours that David Bowie was once considered for the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings.

The actor, who famously played the wizard in Peter Jackson’s blockbuster fantasy trilogy, spoke about the speculation during a recent interview with The Guardian.

Ian McKellen, now 86, was asked about claims previously made by Lord of the Rings actor Dominic Monaghan, who said he once spotted David Bowie in the casting office while the films were being put together.

Ian McKellen, who famously played the wizard in Peter Jackson’s blockbuster fantasy trilogy, spoke about the speculation during a recent interview with The Guardian. Picture: Getty

McKellen: “I've never managed to persuade Peter (Jackson) to confirm who turned down the wizard part of a lifetime.” — McKellen ultimately went on to play Gandalf in all three original Lord of the Rings films — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Picture: Alamy

Asked whether Jackson had ever confirmed Bowie was being considered for Gandalf, McKellen replied: “I've never managed to persuade Peter to confirm who turned down the wizard part of a lifetime.”

McKellen ultimately went on to play Gandalf in all three original Lord of the Rings films – The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King – before reprising the role again in The Hobbit trilogy between 2012 and 2014.

The role became one of the defining performances of his career, with Gandalf evolving from Gandalf the Grey into Gandalf the White following the character’s dramatic battle with the Balrog in Moria.

While Bowie was never officially confirmed for the role, the idea of the singer stepping into Middle-earth has fascinated fans for years.

Bowie, who died in 2016 aged 69, had a long-standing interest in acting alongside his music career and appeared in numerous films throughout his life.

One of Bowie's most famous roles was as Jareth the Goblin King in 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth (pictured). Picture: Alamy

He starred in the 1976 sci-fi drama The Man Who Fell to Earth before taking on one of his most famous screen roles as Jareth the Goblin King in the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth.

He also appeared in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, in which he portrayed inventor Nikola Tesla.

Reflecting on the possibility of Bowie playing Gandalf, Ian McKellen suggested the singer may have leaned more heavily into the mystical side of the character.

“As for Bowie, he was not alone among radiant music stars who would have liked to have been equally successful in the movies but never quite were,” McKellen said.

Watch David Bowie's Labyrinth hit 'As The World Falls Down':

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He later added: “For all Gandalf's acquaintance with magic and the supernatural, I was most attracted to the old boy's humanity – the sort of hirsute tramp of a geezer who you might hope to meet traipsing through Middle-earth's highways and byways.

“Perhaps Bowie's striking looks and voice would have stressed the more supernatural side of his nature and appearance.”

The Lord of the Rings trilogy went on to become one of the most successful film franchises of all time, winning multiple Academy Awards and cementing Ian McKellen’s Gandalf as one of fantasy cinema’s most recognisable characters.

And despite first taking on the role more than two decades ago, McKellen is preparing to return to Middle-earth once again.

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The actor is set to reprise Gandalf in the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which will take place between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.

Andy Serkis is returning as Gollum and will also direct the film, while Elijah Wood is expected to reprise his role as Frodo Baggins.

However, Viggo Mortensen will reportedly not return as Aragorn, with Jamie Dornan instead taking over the role.

The Hunt for Gollum is currently scheduled for release in December 2027.

Earlier this year, McKellen revealed during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that filming is due to begin this July.