Ian McKellen slams Superman and James Bond

Sir Ian McKellen. Photo / Getty Images

British acting icon Ian McKellen has taken a swipe at has dismissed the Superman franchise as "a joke" and branded superspy James Bond a "silly twit".

The Lord of the Rings legend made his feelings known about the popular franchises known during an interview with Uproxx.com,

He said unlike the storylines in Superman and the Bond franchises, he took an immediate liking to the first X-Men film script because he identified with the ongoing theme of the series.

"X-Men was about something. Superman isn't really about anything. It's a joke. The nerd changes his underpants and becomes a Superman," he said.

Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen star as Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future.

"That's James Bond: 'Shaken, not stirred', silly, stupid, British twit... and then, Action Man! But X-Men is about the problems of being a mutant. And we've all felt we're mutants on occasion. So, that was the hook for me."

The actor has portrayed the older Magneto in the X-Men films since 2000.

He admitted signing on to the first movie wasn't a risk to his career, because he only had to commit to one feature, instead of the multi-picture deals stars are locked into nowadays.

"Well, it was a very good job, but I never had to think, 'Oh, do I want to do this for the next 10 years?' It was just a one-off movie."

- WENN