Ian McKellen has revealed that he would return to Middle-earth and reprise his Academy Award nominated role of Gandalf the Grey for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum on one rather crucial condition.
In typical McKellen fashion, the legendary actor told The Times of London that he had heard “stirrings in Tolkien land” and although “there is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan”, he said he would be interested in playing Gandalf if “If I’m alive”.
Warner Bros. announced last month that the man behind the mo-cap, Andy Serkis, was set to star and direct The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Produced by Middle-earth’s very own all seeing eye, Peter Jackson, alongside his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, the film is set to explore Gollum’s backstory and delve into parts of his journey that weren’t covered in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings trilogies.
McKellen played the pipe-weed smoking wizard in both series of films, earning himself a Best Supporting Actor nod for The Fellowship of the Ring, and with Jackson hinting that our duplicitous protagonist might cross paths with some familiar Tolkien characters, it lends weight to the rumours that the story will in part focus on Aragorn’s quest to track him down at the behest of Gandalf.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set for 2026. Meanwhile, WB also has the animated feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim slated for release this December.
Let us know what you think of McKellen potentially picking up the staff once more by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
