Now, in a double dose of life imitating art, a new play is to tell how the Tolkien-themed Hobbit pub in Southampton clashed with a Hollywood film company over copyright infringement.
This week, McKellen marked the announcement of the new play while visiting Southampton with his one-man show celebrating his 80th birthday.
It is the nail-biting, crowdpleasing story of a plucky everyday hero encountering a mighty empire.
In 2012, the establishment was threatened with legal action by Middle-earth Enterprises, a division of the LA-based Saul Zaentz Company, which controls worldwide merchandising rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.