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News media, fandom won't let go of Wizard-on-a-stake - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

August 14, 2000 at 11:46:45

Several Tolkien Web sites carried the text of am Evening Post roundup article covering online speculation over the Wizard-on-a-stake picture last week. Xenite.Org didn't feel the roundup itself was newsworthy, but now we've found something interesting.

Tehanu at TheOneRing.Net recently asked for fans' opinions on what the picture could mean. Many speculative replies were eagerly forwarded to her. She has so far published Wizard Kebab and Wizard Kebab Part II.

Now, here's the neat thing. Leading off the second report is an actual spy report:

SB was at the set on consecutive days and sheds some light:
"I just want to offer my opinion on the wizard on a spike. Shoulda done this earlier, I know. The same actor who was the wizard on the spike (or a good look-alike) was filming a scene the very next day. How do I know? Because I saw them filming at the Wingate set the next day. What were they filming? In the two hours I was there, it was a crane shot taken from 30 feet or so in the air, looking down on that same wizard on a white horse leading eight or so individuals. I noticed a Gimli dummy on the back of someone, and someone who looked like Aragorn (could be a double). This was all beside the big wheel. This leads me to believe that it *was* Gandalf, especially as he spoke some inaudible lines that day.

Why he was on the spike? Who knows. The security guards said that the Evening Post (stuff.co.nz) were very wrong, however. One more thing... on the day after the spike day, the security guard told me that they were using all doubles that day, and the real action was up the road at the river set, where all the stars where. I don't know if he was trying to get me to bugger off, but it certainly seems that most of the main characters have doubles."

Well, we may take it as confirmed that Xenite.Org was correct in suggesting the actor in the photo was a stunt-double. The "Gandalf in a dream" sequence still seems highly unlikely (especially as the only Gandalf-related dream sequence in the literary story belongs in the Tom Bombadil chapters).

The lack of blood has convinced some people it must be a dream, even though there is only the one picture and we don't know what was done to the actor after the picture was taken.

That this spy report claims the same stunt actor played Gandalf in another scene is perhaps the most telling piece of evidence, but it may only be telling us that the same stunt actor is doubling for both Saruman and Gandalf. Other reports do confirm what the security guards told SB concerning Sir Ian McKellen. He has been filming scenes at the Moonshine Bridge location since last week.