British star flies in for 'Rings' film

WELLINGTON - Gandalf the Wizard flew into Middle Earth this week without any fanfare or fireworks.

British actor Sir Ian McKellen, aged 61, arrived in Wellington over the weekend to take up one of the plum roles in Peter Jackson's $360 million trilogy The Lord Of The Rings.

Filming wrapped up in Queenstown and Wanaka just before Christmas and is to resume next week in Wellington and Waikato.

Producer Barrie Osborne said Sir Ian was preparing for his role by working with make-up artists and wardrobe fitters.

Robert Foster, in his book The Complete Guide To Middle Earth, described Gandalf as "a grey-cloaked, grey-haired bent old man ... who passed easily for a meddlesome old conjurer; but at times he revealed his true majesty and power."

In the trilogy, Gandalf was the second most powerful wizard behind Saruman (being played by Christopher Lee) in a group of wizards called the Istari.

Sir Ian is a veteran of both stage and screen, having starred in more than 50 films, including And The Band Played On (1993), Richard III (1995), and Gods And Monsters (1998) for which he received an Oscar nomination last year.

Knighted in 1990 for services to theatre, Sir Ian joins a Rings cast that includes Liv Tyler, Sir Ian Holm and Elijah Wood. - NZPA