Ian McKellen Says He's Been Asked to Return as Gandalf for Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

Is Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellen returning as Gandalf in the upcoming prequel 'The Hunt for Gollum'?

By Kofi Outlaw

Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellen has revealed that he has been asked to return as the wizard Gandalf, in the upcoming prequel films, titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. In a new interview, McKellen (currently in recovery from a stage fall during a performance in London's West End) was talking about the sustained love and enthusiasm for the LOTR franchise, while also revealing that he's aware of the new prequel film because producers "hope that I'll be playing him." 

In his his full quote to The Big Issue, McKellen said "Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating … 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."

Of course, at 85 years old, McKellen can't guarantee his... 'availability' for any new film projects. The Hunt for Gollum has a director (original Gollum actor Andy Serkis, who will also star) and a creative team in place, but the actual production timeline has yet to be confirmed. The first installment has a release date set for 2026, so odds are things are going to move fast. 

lord-rings-hunt-gollum-ian-mckellen-gandalf.jpg
(Photo: New Line /Warner Bros. Pictures)

McKellen acknowledged that The Hunt for Gollum is only in the early stages of development, suggesting that producers indeed move with haste: "When? I don't know. What the script is? It's not written yet. So, they better be quick."

That echoes McKellen's earlier statement on the matter, telling The Times he'll play Gandalf again "If I'm alive."

Andy Serkis has already hinted during a convention appearance that McKellen's Gandalf could be but one of several LOTR actors/characters we see making a return: 

"The Hunt for Gollum is a work-in-progress title. It may not end up being called that. It's going to very much be the world of Middle Earth according to Gollum's experience of it," Serkis said. "It is so early... But I will say that it will be a deep dive where we investigate Gollum's character. There may be characters that we recognize that might be coming back. I'm not going to say who." 

Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies director Peter Jackson is producing The Hunt for Gollum. Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote the original LOTR Trilogy will return to write the prequel screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim anime).

Related:

Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium's Jonathan Cavendish. Peter Jackson is producing with Walsh and Boyens.

The Lords of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is has set a release date window for 2026, but no story details about the film have been revealed.  

Trending Now: