Though there is a chunk of his fanbase that knows him primarily as Gandalf and Magneto, Ian McKellen's life and career encompasses much more than that. A new documentary called McKellen: Playing The Part aims to explore his rich and varied experiences.
Director Joe Stephenson scored an exclusive, 14-hour interview with the man himself, which will be sprinkled in among recreations of scenes from his life, rare archive material of his early work on stage and screen and photographs from McKellen's own collection.
"Here is an opportunity to show them his incredible, and inspiring trajectory from his modest childhood in the north of England to Tony winning star of the stage, from one of the first actors to speak openly about his sexuality to becoming an internationally recognized two-time Oscar nominee," Stephenson tells Variety.
"While Ian has been interviewed many times, and lives a life very much in the public eye, we wanted to talk candidly to him about his journey and philosophy in a way that may not have been done. It’s an honour to tell the story of someone still so relevant and active in our industry, and my hope is that an audience might walk out of the cinema as inspired by his journey as I am, feel like they better understand how he has got to where he is today, and celebrate not just his awesome achievements, but the man himself."
There's no sign yet of when it might hit screens, but we'd guess next year. And if all this talk of McKellen has you wanting to hear from the man himself, check out the Empire Podcast interview with him, conducted at his house, from earlier this year. Find it below.