Ian McKellen to Depart 'The Hobbit' for the Stage?

According to ContactMusic.com Ian McKellen tells New Zeleand's Good Morning that he may not return to his role of Gandolf in the prequel to 'The Lord Of The Rings' films, 'The Hobbit.' The film has been plagued with many production delays, as previously reported.

Said Mckellen on the program: "Well I'm not under contract and my time is running out and I'm enjoying working in the theatre and frankly, I would like to race after doing 'Waiting For Godot', get on with doing another play but we'll have to see. I don't give the producers the impression that I'm sitting waiting...What it will be I genuinely don't know. It'll either be, we're going ahead or we're not."

The original 'The Hobbit' director was Guillermo Del Toro who dropped out of the project because of the troubled schedule. David Yates has signed on the replace del Toro. Yate directed the 'Harry Potter' films.

'The Hobbit' is planned to be a two-part film.

Sir Ian McKellen has appeared on Broadway in Dance of Death, Ian McKellen: A Knight Out at the Lyceum, Wild Honey, Ian KcKennel: Acting Shakespeare, Amadeus, and The Promise. Long known as a Shakespearean actor with the U.K.'s National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, amongst other high profile establishments. He has appeared in over 250 productions, garnering multiple Tony and Olivier Awards. In 1979 he was awarded the Commander of the British Empire for his services to drama. He has recently attracted wider fame and attention for his portrayal as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and as well as for his role as Magneto in the popular X-Men films. McKellen recently reprised his role of Estragon in the West End's Haymarket Theatre's production of 'Waiting for Godot' directed by Sean Mathias, which also starred Roger Rees.