It seems legendary to JRR Tolkien The Lord of the Rings will never stop being popular as Ian McKellen may return as Gandalf in his latest film.
McKellen starred as the iconic wizard Gandalf over twenty years ago and has become a face of the series alongside the original main cast, returning as the wizard for the prequel Hobbit films and numerous video game adaptations.
McKellen teased his return as the Gray Pilgrim for the 2026 spinoff film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, starring Andy Serkis as Gollum, who also directs.
“I’ve been told Gandalf is involved, but I haven’t heard yet how much he’s going to get paid or how much say he has, so I think we’ll leave it at that,” McKellen told Sky News.
In other separate interviews, McKellen teased more about his possible return to Tolkien’s universe, suggesting the new film is still very early in production.
“Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no signs of waning… That’s all I can tell you. I’ve just been told there will be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they’re hoping I’ll play him,” McKellen told The Big Issue (via Term).
He added: “When? Don’t know. What is the script? It hasn’t been written yet. So they better be quick.” The 85-year-old actor has recovered from a fall from the stage at Player Kings in London’s West End but shows no signs of retiring from acting.
The new interviews come from a media tour that McKellen is organizing for his first feature film in years, The criticin which the screen legend is an equally notable critic in the 2015 1930s novel titled Curtain Call. A premiere is scheduled for September 13 in America and Great Britain.
Not much else is known about it The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum except Serkis acts and directs under Warner Bros., while director Peter Jackson produces the original film series alongside longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.