Warner Bros. has asked legendary British actor Sir Ian McKellen to return as Gandalf in Andy Serkis’ upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum film.
In a new interview with Big Issue, the X-Men star spoke with the magazine, in a report published by James Barker. McKellen commented on the progress of the upcoming Lord of the Rings film, which is slated to be one of three live-action movies currently in development.
“I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him.”
As to the progress of the film itself:
“When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”
This comes after McKellen previously spoke with Dominic Maxwell of The Times during production on Player Kings, before that tour was abruptly cancelled following an injury McKellen sustained. In that interview, McKellen expressed that he was open to returning to the role, if he was still alive.
So while the actor is healing from the aforementioned tumble, it’s certainly possible he is already working with Warner Bros., given his insight into production on the film.
He also mentioned that he thinks his role as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit will be the role he is remembered for. “Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating,” he said, before cryptically teasing “I may even be going back to play Gandalf again…”
McKellen will next be seen in The Critic, a movie about a powerful London theater critic that lures a struggling actress into a blackmail scheme. He co-stars alongside Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Lesley Manville, and Ben Barnes. The Critic is due in theatres on September 13, 2024.
Warner Bros.’ Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is directed by Andy Serkis, and produced by Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens. It is executively produced by Serkis, Ken Kamins, and Jonathan Cavendish and is written by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens as well as Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. The only star currently attached to the film is Andy Serkis who reprises his role as Gollum.
For fans of the Lord of the Rings franchise, Rings of Power Season 2 is currently airing on Prime Video and War of the Rohirrim released its first trailer recently ahead of its December 13 release in theatres.
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