McKellen keen to reprise Magneto role

X-Men star Sir Ian McKellen has said he is keen to appear in a spin-off from the hit series.

The 69-year-old, who played Magneto in the films, told BBC News: "I think it’s a very good series. There is a script knocking around for a spin-off, but it will be a younger Magneto, so if I were involved it would just be topping and tailing the story."

Sir Ian, whose other film roles include Gandalf in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code, is to introduce an all-night screening of the X-Men films at the BF1 Imax cinema in London this weekend.

Shown as part of the British Film Institute's comic book movie season, the actor told the BBC it was "quite exciting" that the three films are to be shown back-to-back.

Sir Ian is to reprise his role of Gandalf for a film of The Hobbit, due to be released in 2010.

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