Casting for the new Lord of the Rings movie isn’t being taken lightly by fans.

Peter Jackson’s trilogy, while not completely faultless, is still held in high regard. Consequently, it’s hard to envision anyone else playing the characters we adore.

Naturally, this makes the question of who will play Gandalf in the new Lord of the Rings film all the more tense.

Can anyone really replace Sir Ian McKellen?

No is the definitive answer.

When Redditor MaderaArt listed several actors who could take on the role, film fans were harmoniously united in one choice and one choice only.

“If it ain’t broke,” joked Backpack78 referencing the return of McKellen as the beloved wizard.

“If Ian McKellen is alive and can walk and talk, then he should be Gandalf,” said Qariss5902.

The Lord of the Rings community has found its new Gandalf.

Yet, there are some who believe that McKellen should be allowed to gracefully bow out of this one.

Not because he’s not the perfect actor for the part – come on now, we know he is – but because of his past experiences on The Hobbit set.

“Leave him. He had an awful time filming The Hobbit. He’s done with it. Don’t force him to play in another microwaved shit sandwich,” Red__system explained.

It’s up for debate how much of a bad time McKellen had on set – some claim while it wasn’t great, it wasn’t “awful” like this comment suggests.

Nonetheless, it was a less than fun experience for the veteran actor, ergo, he shouldn’t be forced to endure more of that.

Fans may be united in their desire to see McKellen return as Gandalf, but only time will tell whether he feels up to donning those robes once more.