Sir Ian McKellen teases that he could play Gandalf again in the new Lord of the Rings movie

Sir Ian McKellen has hinted that he may return to Middle-Earth and reprise the role of Gandalf in the recently announced Lord of the Rings film, The Hunt for Gollum.

“Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating,” the 85-year-old actor said in an interview with the Big Issue.

“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.”

“I’m not letting anyone else put on the pointy hat and beard if I can help it” – Ian McKellen

It was announced earlier this year that two new Lord of the Rings films were in development, with Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in both the original trilogy and The Hobbit movies, set to star and direct.

The first of the new films, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, was given a tentative 2026 release date, with Lord of the Rings scriptwriters, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, attached to pen the screenplay.

In a separate interview, McKellen, who played Gandalf in both of director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, said he had no plans to relinquish the role.

“I’m not letting anyone else put on the pointy hat and beard if I can help it,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

In fact, the actor told BBC Breakfast that he had no intention of retiring following his recent onstage accident. In June earlier this year, McKellen fell during a performance of Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre, leaving him with a chipped vertebrae and a broken wrist.

“I shall just keep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working,” he said.