Ian Mckellen

Ian McKellen says he turned down $1.5m (£1.14m) to officiate at Napster billionaire Sean Parker’s wedding dressed as Gandalf the wizard.

It is 400 years since Shakespeare died and, as part of the festivities, Ian McKellen is spearheading a selection of Shakespearean films at the BFI in London that will tour 110 countries, including Cuba, Iraq, Russia and the US, in the most extensive film programme ever undertaken.

Harrison Ford has become the highest-grossing actor in the US after record numbers for his latest film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Of all the actors gunning for recognition in the best actor field at next year’s Oscars, few have campaigned harder this week in Los Angeles than Ian McKellen.

There will be no deerstalker. There will be no pipe. In their place will be a straw hat and a walking stick. But with the appetite for Sherlock Holmes growing after the worldwide success of Benedict Cumberbatch’s television portrayal, Sir Ian McKellen is about to give fans of the great sleuth more of what they crave.

As Patrick Stewart prepares once again to star in X-Men, he talks to Ed Pilkington about new love, success on Broadway, his phenomenal Twitter following and growing old with his best friend Ian McKellen

Non-devotees might struggle, but director Bryan Singer whips up the action towards a symphonic climax

Can't get to Edinburgh? Kilkenny just that bit too far away? Never fear.

"Unexpected" is right, for a couple of reasons. Peter Jackson, the man who brought Lord Of The Rings to the big screen to eardrum-shattering acclaim 10 years ago, is now taking just the same approach to Tolkien's much slighter, slimmer children's book The Hobbit. It's getting expanded into three movie episodes of which this whoppingly long film is the opener.