Ian McKellan
Ian McKellan admits that he was not going to reprise the role of Gandalf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
The actor returns to the role and Middle Earth later this year for the first part of The Hobbit trilogy - which sees Peter Jackson in the director's chair.
But McKellan worried that returning to a character would not pose a real challenge for him.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter the actor said; "It was a little like going back to something that wasn't necessarily going to be particularly challenging.
"Gandalf is still inside me, as it were, so the business of getting to know a new character - I was sort of going to be robbed of that."
But the actor admits that he felt that he couldn't let the fans who expected him to play Gandalf once more down
"You felt, how many millions of people are waiting for it?" he said. "They wouldn't understand if you weren't as keen as they were."
And McKellan is not the only actor returning as Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood are also back.
TThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is released 14th December.
Tagged in The Hobbit Sir Ian McKellen