Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series paves the way for a possible appearance from Gandalf, but not Ian McKellen. From Sean Astin's faithful Samwise Gamgee to Christopher Lee's sinister Saruman, Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy is stacked with timeless performances, but few match Ian McKellen's stellar turn as Gandalf, the wizard who aids Frodo and the Fellowship on their perilous journey. McKellen returned to star in Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy (in accordance with J.R.R. Tolkien's original novel), but his future as Gandalf remains unclear - especially when it comes to Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series.
The big-budget Lord of the Rings project was initially announced as taking place in Tolkien's Second Age. Amazon has repeatedly promised familiar faces fans know and love, but outside of Elrond, Galadriel and Sauron, options are limited, with most The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings characters not yet born. Gandalf is somewhat of a curious case. He certainly exists in the TV show's timeline, but doesn't arrive in Middle-earth until 1000 years into the Third Age. As such, Gandalf's presence in the Amazon series looked highly unlikely, despite Ian McKellen gently lobbying to don the staff and pointy hat one more time.
Amazon's first official image changes the odds of Gandalf appearing in the Lord of the Rings TV series dramatically, and while it's good news for fans of the enigmatic pipe-smoking wizard, things look less promising for those hoping Ian McKellen might return. Amazon's first glimpse surprised everyone by revealing the twin trees Laurelin and Telperion, confirming the new Lord of the Rings series would include scenes set in Valinor during the First Age. Before he was sent to help fight Sauron in Middle-earth, Gandalf lived as an angelic Maia spirit in the Undying Lands, where he would sometimes mingle unseen among the elves. Known as Olórin at this point, any Valinor material in Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series could feasibly include Gandalf's original "Olórin" form. There's hardly any Olórin-related Tolkien stories to draw upon, but we at least know the character frequented Valinor during this very period.
Unfortunately, Olórin cannot be portrayed by Ian McKellen. J.R.R. Tolkien is deliberately vague when describing the physical appearances of the Maia, suggesting they can take a fair, mortal-like form, or simply exist as non-corporeal spirits. When the Valar decreed that Olórin and a few other Maia would travel to Middle-earth and oppose Sauron, the selected quintet (which comprised Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and the two Blue Wizards) were turned into Istari, or wizards, and afforded mortal-like forms. As Tolkien states in his Unfinished Tales, the wizards were deliberately made to resemble humble old men, so the rulers of Middle-earth wouldn't interpret their coming as a power grab from beyond the sea (this ultimately ended up working in Saruman's favor). The likes of Gandalf appeared aged and bearded simply to signify their wisdom as advisors to the peoples of Middle-earth.
This means Olórin's "Ian McKellen" form only came about in the Third Age, long before Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series. Another actor could assume the role - especially since Tolkien tells of Olórin resembling an elf to remain unseen in Valinor - but for Gandalf to assume his "old man wizard" guise would contradict J.R.R. Tolkien's (admittedly brief) description of the wizard's younger years.
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