- Sir Ian McKellen is interested in playing Gandalf again.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is on track for 2026.
While he’s currently taking a break from performing, actor Sir Ian McKellen seems more than happy to throw on his robe and wizard hat to portray Gandalf once again. Speaking to the UK’s Big Issue, McKellen noted, “I’ve just been told there are going to be more [Lord of the Rings] films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him.”
In what capacity Gandalf will be returning isn’t clear at this point, even to the actor himself: “When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”
That last comment is a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of McKellen’s age and the acclaimed thespian’s recent health scare. Earlier this June, the 85-year-old actor fell from the stage at London’s Noël Coward Theatre during a performance of Player Kings. Since the accident, McKellen has been “left feeling weak physically” and plans to take the rest of 2024 off from performing to recover.
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While McKellen doesn’t mention any films by name, a new live-action Lord of the Rings flick was revealed back in May. Announced by Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav during an earnings call, The Hunt for Gollum will be the first live-action film to tackle the world of J. R. R. Tolkien in over a decade.
Set to be directed by franchise mainstay Andy Serkis, who will once again be scurrying around in a full-body mocap suit to portray the titular character. Fans are advised to temper their excitement, however; as the film isn’t due out until sometime in 2026.
While best known for his motion capture performances, Serkis has stepped into the director’s seat a few times over the past couple of years. He directed Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle back in 2018, which he followed with Venom: Let There Be Carnage in 2021.
Outside of the title, Serkis’ role and a projected release date in 2026, the film was still in the early stages of script development when it was announced, so details are quite sparse. Considering that Gollum is *spoiler alert* quite dead by the conclusion of The Return of The King, our money is on this upcoming LOTR film being a prequel to the original trilogy.
This helps us lock down a potential source of inspiration for The Hunt for Gollum. In the appendices for The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien mentions that Gandalf hired Aragon to hunt down Gollum before the events of The Fellowship of the Rings.
While it’s unclear if this is the story the film will be based on, it at least lines up with its title and McKellen’s return slots in nicely. It could also mean we’ll see Viggo Mortensen return as well.
While details about the film’s plot are thin, we do know that Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson is on board to produce, along with partner Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
Walsh and Boyens, who both worked on the screenplays for the previous Middle Earth trilogies, are also working to develop this new film’s script. They’re joined by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, whose recent screenplay credits include the upcoming animated film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
Between the involvement of Serkis, Jackson, Walsh and Boyens, having McKellen return could be just the incentive needed to get the band back together. Quality-wise, hopefully it’s more in line with the glory days of the LOTR movies, as opposed to the The Hobbit series.
According to Zaslav, this isn’t the only live-action Middle Earth film in development, although he’s remained tight-lipped about what these other projects will involve. Considering how far away The Hunt for Gollum is, we might not see or hear about those other movies for a while.
If you’re feeling starved for Hobbits and elves, the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered on Prime Video last week.
