Last year Sir Ian McKellen shocked audiences in New York when he dropped his pants during his title role as “King Lear.”
The “Lord of the Rings” star revealed his private parts as part of a scene that depicts Lear losing his sanity. The show was given high marks from critics and PBS taped it to air on its stations across the nation, only now, the question is whether McKellen’s full-frontal scene will be televised.
Since PBS is not a cable network (in fact it airs educational programming exclusively) execs there have to worry about how much of McKellen is exposed. Network bigwigs say they have yet to decide whether they will show McKellen in all his glory, but should have an answer in a few months.
For his part, the 68-year-old Oscar nominated actor said he hopes PBS execs leave the scene in given that the nudity was done so artfully and not surreptitiously.
Of course, McKellen has better things to concern himself with these days than whether his bits will be televised. The actor has officially announced (via his website) that the rumors are true—-he will be reprising his role as Gandalf in the upcoming “Hobbit” films.
According to McKellen, he is on board to play Gandalf, and Andy Serkis will also be returning to play Gollum.
While McKellen is heading back to the role that earned him an Academy Award nod, Robert Downey Jr. is striking while the iron is hot and saddling up for a new role in the Brian Grazer-Ron Howard film “Cowboys & Aliens.”
Hot off his success in the summer blockbuster “Iron Man,” Downey has reportedly signed on to appear in the upcoming flick, which is said to be a mix of science fiction and Western genres. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie will likely be a tongue-in-cheek take on the two classics and wouldn’t hit theaters until 2010.
In the meantime, fans of Downey can catch him in “Tropic Thunder” this August, and “The Soloist” in November.