James McAvoy: 'I want to play Gandalf in Tolkien prequels' Published Sunday, Jan 6 2013, 2:34am EST | By Paul Martinovic (DIGITAL SPY)

James McAvoy has said that he would love to play legendary wizard Gandalf.

The character, who features heavily in JRR Tolkien's most famous works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, has been made famous by Sir Ian McKellen in Peter Jackson's screen adaptations.

Total Film reports that the X-Men: First Class star revealed that he would like the role should there be any prequels to the recent films.

Revealing an in-depth knowledge of Tolkien's work, he specifically referenced the possibility of appearing in something adapted from Tolkien anthology The Silmarillion.

He told the magazine: "It's a collection of poems and songs that chart the ancient history of Middle-earth. My true geek is coming to the fore, but they're really, really beautiful stories.

READ MORE: http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a448815/james-mcavoy-i-want-to-play-gandalf-in-tolkien-prequels.html

James McAvoy says he wants to play Gandalf in The Silmarillion

Exclusive: “My true geek is coming to the fore”
Jan 5th 2012By Total Film

In the current issue of Total Film magazine, we delve into James McAvoy’s dark side, with the Brit actor telling us about his upcoming slate, including gritty turns in Welcome To The Punch and Filth.

You can read the feature in the current issue of Total Film magazine, available for only £1.99 on the iPad, but here’s a snippet of what McAvoy told us when we asked if there was anything else that he was itching to do after his recent spate of diverse projects.

“I’d like to play Gandalf,” he told us, laughing.

‘Gandalf: Origins’, we offer? “It’s called The Silmarillion! It’s a collection of poems and songs that chart the ancient history of Middle-earth. My true geek is coming to the fore, but they’re really, really beautiful stories.

“In part of that is the genesis of Gandalf, or Mithrandir, or Stormcrow, or any of his many, many names. Anyway, maybe that’s the one!”


READ MORE: http://www.totalfilm.com/news/james-mcavoy-says-he-wants-to-play-gandalf-in-the-silmarillion