Will Ian McKellen return as Gandalf in 'Lord of The Rings'?

The epic character that Sir Ian McKellen played in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy may be back. The seasoned actor has dropped more than a hint to the press, leading to a surge in interest in the actor and the upcoming film, 'Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum'.

Interestingly, this film is directed by the original Gollum himself, Andy Serkis. He will also star in the two upcoming LOTR films, the first of which will be released in 2026, Deadline confirms. 

Peter Jackson, the director of the original trilogy, will produce it himself, so it seems like almost a reunion of the top players. It would be a royal flush to also see Sir Ian back as the immortal wizard. 

Seeing Sir Ian McKellen would be welcomed by LOTR fans but also to the actor's followers after he'd said he would be taking the rest of 2024 off due to his accident. In the Spring, McKellen lost his footing in ‘Player Kings’ and fell off the stage, and broke his wrist.

"I'm left feeling weak physically, which I’m doing exercises for," McKellen said, reported by Variety. "And, of course, it’s emotional. We all trip all our lives, it’s just when you get to my age you can't always get up again."

Image: New line Cinema

As social media went wild in early September with Ian McKellen trending on X, many worried that the sudden interest in the 85-year-old actor was due to something more grave. But the return of the actor’s name to the press had nothing to do with death. It was for another, much more positive reason: the return of Gandalf.

These are the words that have become many a meme since the original Peter Jackson films were released. Gandalf - who uttered these words - was loved by fans as a powerful, yet caring character, fundamental to the film’s narrative.

McKellen told 'The Big Issue': "Enthusiasm for 'The Lord of the Rings' shows no sign of abating … I can't tell you any more than that. 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."

"When? I don't know. What the script is? It's not written yet. So they better be quick!" It seems lots of details still need to be ironed out before his involvement in the next set of 'Lord of the Rings' films is confirmed.

Screen Rant tells us that "it's unclear if he'll be coming back for sure", despite his interest in receiving the script.

One thing is for certain, however… the interest in Tolkien’s works is not waning. This year sees the second season of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power', the most expensive TV series ever made. It broke Prime Video viewership records when more than 25 million people watched it on the first day.

Image: Prime Video

There are also other projects generating interest in the stories. There is an anime film called 'War of the Rohirrim' which is soon to be released in December 2024. These projects show that anything is possible for the writer's works and the undeniable continued future of 'The Lord of The Rings'.

Image: Warner Bros

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