Wizard garb helped McKellen re-conjure Gandalf

NEW YORK (AP) — Repeated filming delays almost caused Ian McKellen to quit his reprise as Gandalf the Grey in “The Hobbit” trilogy, a prequel to “The Lord of the Rings” in which he first played the wily wizard.

“It wasn’t a simple offer,” he said, recalling that in the two years since he first accepted the role, Peter Jackson pulled out as director, then replacement Guillermo del Toro dropped out, followed by Jackson becoming ill after he signed on again. “I just had to keep adjusting to the possibility that the film was never going to get made.”