IAN MCKELLEN APPEARS IN AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY FILM

Sir Ian McKellen showed advance footage of his appearance in the superhero film Avengers: Doomsday at an open-air cinema in Rome on Sunday night before an audience of approximately 2,000 film fans. The film releases in December and marks the return of X-Men characters played by McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anthony and Joe Russo direct the film, which serves as a sequel to their 2019 film Avengers: Endgame.

During the Rome screening, McKellen described his experiences on set, recounting a scene in which he was asked to destroy a building. He explained that the Russo brothers instructed him to appear more furious whilst destroying the structure, prompting him to shout "Mar-a-Lago" during filming. Avengers: Doomsday is the Marvel Cinematic Universe's 39th feature film. The 2019 Avengers: Endgame generated $2.8 billion in global box office revenue and ranks as the second highest-grossing film of all time.

At the Rome event, McKellen also introduced Jacques Tati's 1953 comedy film Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, describing it as one of his favourite films. He discussed watching the film as a 14-year-old and compared Hulot's character to figures such as Chaplin's Tramp and Buster Keaton's work. McKellen noted that Hulot influenced Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean character. The actor sustained an injury from a fall during a stage production of Player Kings in 2024.