McKellen's magnetic role

SIR IAN McKellen (right) is to take a marked change in direction from his usual classical roles. It was revealed in Cannes that he will play the villain in Twentieth Century Fox's X-Men. Sir Ian will play Magneto, Master of Magnetism, in the live-action feature based on the Marvel comics characters who are born with mutated genes that impart superpowers.

Merchant Ivory, meanwhile, is to film The Golden Bowl by Henry James.