Ian McKellen Open to Gandalf Return in New ‘LOTR’: ‘They’ll Have to Be Quick!’

Ian McKellen is ready to return to Middle-earth, but hopes it will happen as soon as possible.

In a new interview with Big problemThe 85-year-old actor appeared to hint that he would be taking an indefinite hiatus from acting, which could impact whether he can reprise his role as the wizard Gandalf in the upcoming new film. Lord of the Rings movies.

“I just heard that there are more movies coming and that Gandalf is going to be involved and they’re hoping I’ll play him,” McKellen said in the interview, published Monday, Sept. 2. “When? I don’t know. What’s the script? It’s not written yet. So they’ve got to be quick!”

After his successful trilogy of films that adapted JRR Tolkien’s books The Lord of the Ring trilogy, in which McKellen played the wise wizard Gandalf, filmmaker Peter Jackson is teaming up with Andy Serkis for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumplanned for release in 2026.

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Warner Bros. announced on May 9 that Serkis, 60, will direct the film and reprise his role as Ring of Power-obsessed Gollum, aka Sméagol, in the upcoming installment, with Jackson, 62, signing on as a producer. Joining them on the production team are filmmakers from the Oscar-winning original trilogy, including screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

Meanwhile, McKellen made his breakthrough in 2001 as Gandalf The Company of the Ringwhich earned him an Academy Award nomination. After appearing in The two towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003) he reprised the role in Jackson’s sequel trilogy, in which he adapted Tolkien’s novels The Hobbit.

In an interview in May with TermJackson indicated that “it’s too early to know who’s going to cross his path,” referring to the plot and characters in Gollum’s upcoming film.

“We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey that we weren’t able to do in the previous films,” he said. “Suffice it to say, we’re going to take our cue from Professor Tolkien.”

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McKellen was hospitalized for three days earlier this summer after falling during a performance at the Noël Coward Theatre in London. He was in a fight scene during a production of Player Kings, a production of Henry IV, when he lost his balance and reportedly fell from the front of the stage.

Last month, thand X-Man star told Saga Magazine that he was afraid to leave the house after his accident on June 17, but admitted his injuries could have been much worse, as “the thick suit I wore (for his character Sir John Falstaff) saved my ribs and other joints, so I consider myself lucky.”

“I relived that fall countless times. It was horrible,” he said. “I thought it was the end of something. It was very upsetting. The end didn’t mean my death, but it felt like the end of my participation in the play.”

Despite calling it a “lucky escape,” McKellen told the outlet that he has to keep telling himself that he’s not too old to act.

“It was just a bloody accident,” he said. “I didn’t pass out, I wasn’t dizzy, but I couldn’t get back on stage and they went on without me.”