Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi to Star in New ITV Comedy VICIOUS

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ian McKellen is set to star in a new ITV series to be titled VICIOUS along side Derek Jacobi. The sitcom will be co-written by executive producer Gary Janetti (Will & Grace) and British playwright Mark Ravenhill.

VICIOUS will follow two London roommates, Freddie and Stuart, one a former actor, the other an 'ex-barman'. The duo spend a great deal of their lives bickering, and are "delightfully vicious to each other." The series is set to premiere sometime in 2013.

McKellen fans eagerly await his return to film in the role of 'Gandalf' in Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.' The actor has won multiple Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is known for film roles such as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, Magneto in the X-Men films, and as Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code.

Derek Jacobi credits include The King's Speech, My Week with Marilyn and Frances de la Tour (Alice In Wonderland, Hugo).