Ian McKellen’s warning after Lord of the Rings rumour

Sir Ian McKellen is willing to reprise his role as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings franchise, but it needs to happen soon.

“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,” the actor, 85, told Big Issue magazine.

“When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”

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McKellen’s comments come as new Lord of the Rings films are believed to be in the works. Warner Bros. in May confirmed that the company was in “the early stages of script development” with an anticipated 2026 release, per The Hollywood Reporter.

While his return to the role of Gandalf is still up in the air, McKellen has made the decision to take the rest of the year off from acting after he suffered a fall.

McKellen fell in June during a performance of Player Kings, a new version of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, in London.

The cast of the Lord of the Rings: then and now | In photos

“I’m just trying to convince myself it was an accident,” McKellen said.

“I’m left feeling weak physically, which I’m doing exercises for,” he added.

“And, of course, it’s emotional. We all trip all our lives, it’s just when you get to my age you can’t always get up again.”

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The legendary actor has appeared in multiple Lord of the Rings films and likes being busy.

“I’m usually working or preparing to work, I’ve been doing a little bit of that, wondering what might be the best plan,” he said.

“I’m going to take the rest of the year off. Not because I need to, just because I want to.”

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