Ian McKellen on If He’ll Return as Gandalf in New Lord of the Rings Movies

With Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum in development, Sir Ian McKellen weighs in on his potential return as Gandalf in future movies. The 85-year-old was asked whether he wanted to be back. What’s more, he had a highly positive response for fans wanting to relive the Lord of the Rings magic. Here’s what McKellen said about reprising his iconic role.

Ian McKellen confirms being asked to return as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

Sir Ian McKellen, the veteran Gandalf the White actor, could definitely return in his iconic role. With Warner Bros. working on new Lord of the Rings movies, he confirms that he has already been approached to come back as the enigmatic white-bearded wizard.

Currently healing from an injury that he endured falling off-stage in London’s West End for Player Kings, McKellen implied that he is eager to return as Gandalf. Speaking to The Big Issue, he said his “Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating.”

The actor added:

“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.”

When asked when he’ll return and other story details, he replied:

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

While McKellen wishes for the official call for The Hunt for Gollum to happen soon, he mentioned that he has no plans to retire from acting in the near future. Promoting his previous film, The Critic in another interview with BBC Breakfast, he said in the past:

“I shall just keep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working.”

So, it is likely that the legendary actor could return as Gandalf the White at least one more time. Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum has a planned 2026 release window.