Actress starts: Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings should be played by a woman

Actress Robyn Malcolm once played Morwen, an old lady from Rohan, in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (a minor role reuniting with her children in Helm's Deep). Now that Amazon is about to shoot a TV series of "The Lord of the Rings", she told the media that Gandalf should be played by a woman.

"Those ancient legends and myths are all based on patriarchal and male-female concepts. Why can't the fantasy world be made into a matriarchal society? Why can't women be powerful magicians?"

Malcolm said she would love to see New Zealand actresses Rena Owen or Rachel House play a female version of Gandalf in Amazon's "Lord of the Rings," and said actresses such as Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins could also be considered if producers wanted to sign actors.

She said that because "Lord of the Rings" is a fantasy work, there is no historical fact problem, so there is no need to worry about die-hard fans' opposition. She said, "We all have female versions of Hamlet, so why not?"

Amazon's version of "Lord of the Rings" TV series will tell the story of the Second Age. It is not yet clear which characters will appear. Amazon has formed a team of star writers and producers, including Gennifer Hutchinson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Helen Shang (Hannibal), Justin Dohle (Stranger Things), Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones) and Tephany Folsom (Toy Story 4). JA Bayona, the director of "Jurassic World 2", will direct the first and second episodes.

Other behind-the-scenes talent includes costume designer Kate Hawley (Edge of Tomorrow), production designer Rick Heinrichs (Sleepy Hollow, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), visual effects supervisor Jason Smith (The Revenant, Super 8, The Avengers), Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey, and illustrator and concept artist John Howe for the film trilogy.