X-Men’s Ian McKellen Won’t Be Back As Magneto

After 15 years as Magneto, it looks as though Sir Ian McKellen won’t be suiting up for ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’.

During an interview with Digital Spy, the 76-year-old British actor was quizzed about rumours that he may appear in the next ‘X-Men’ movie… but it’s bad news for us fans.

“I haven’t heard that,” he said. “I don’t think I am, no… no. They are currently making the film and I’m not in it.”

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Of course, ‘X-Men’ fans will be rather sad to see him go – after all, he brought Magneto to the big screen alongside friend and fellow thesp, Sir Patrick Stewart. But this doesn’t mean that it’s the last we’ve seen of Magneto…

“Michael Fassbender, poor dear, can’t get any work,” he joked. “So we’d better let him do it. He’s got three movies coming out this year, you’d think he’d let me do one of them.”

Set to return to the role of young Magneto, Michael Fassbender will be taking over from McKellen once more in the upcoming ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’.

But will Sir Ian McKellen miss suiting up in the iconic cloak and helmet?

“Well, yes,” he said. “You like to be in films that people like to see, don’t you? I’ve always thought the X-Men stories were superior to any other fantasy movies because they were about something.”

Having appeared throughout the ‘X-Men’ franchise, it’s not surprising to hear that he’s a bit of a fan. But it seems he’s not so enamoured with the superhero genre on the whole… and he isn’t so fussed on the likes of Superman…

“I don’t think there’s much excitement in the wimp who becomes all-powerful when he changes his underwear,” he said. “But ‘X-Men’ is about what it is to be different, what it is to be a mutant and society’s attitude to difference – that’s an important social thing to discuss and when it’s done in such an entertaining way… I was happy to be a part of them.”

But what will Sir Ian McKellen be doing next?

“I’ve other things to be doing,” he said. “There are compensations for not getting caught up in blockbusting.”

Appearing in the upcoming ‘Mr. Holmes’ is just the first of his latest upcoming projects… and with the ITV sitcom ‘Vicious’ as well as an upcoming BBC movie with Sir Anthony Hopkins, it seems he’s got plenty to keep himself busy.

Will he ever be convinced to pick up the iconic helmet and use those metal-bending powers once more? For now, we’ll have to wait and see.

‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ heads to cinemas on 19 May 2016.

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Picture Credit: 20^th Century Fox, Marvel