Ian McKellen Opens Up About Whether He Will Reprise His ‘Lord of the Rings’ Gandalf Role in Upcoming Gollum Movie
Ian McKellen addresses the possibility of his return as Lord of the Rings character Gandalf in the upcoming movie, The Hunt for Gollum. Many fans expressed their enthusiasm if he would reprise his role.
In a recent interview with The Times, he addressed the speculations regarding his return. He said, “I haven’t shaved in months,” because of his role in the stage production, Player Kings.
He was asked about the question regarding his chances of passing through the middle earth, and he replied, “But there is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan,” and added,
When asked about the question of whether he would reprise his role, he jokingly said, “If I’m alive.”
The Hunt for Gollum was announced recently, with a 2026 release schedule. The movie will be directed by Andy Serkis, who acted in the original trilogy as Gollum and will reprise his role in the upcoming movie. It will be produced by Peter Jackson, Phillippa Boyens, and Fran Walsh.
The plot details of the film are currently unknown, but it would explore the backstory of Gollum and delve into his unexplored journey. The script is now in the early stages of development. Walsh and Boyens are writing the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. The executive producers include Ken Kamins, Serkis, and Jonathan Cavendish.
In a conversation with Deadline, Jackson said, “The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic.”
He also talked about why they chose the story of Gollum for the film. He said, “We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films, and continued, “It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.”
McKellen portrayed the character of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogy. He is a wizard, the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring, and has great power. For the performance, he got a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
He gained worldwide popularity by acting in the films Richard III, Gods and Monsters, and X-Men films. He recently appeared in the films The One Note Man and The Critic. His upcoming project is Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine.