Ian McKellen says he could return as Gandalf in the upcoming new 'Lord of the Rings' films. In a new interview, the 85-year-old actor revealed he's open to returning to the iconic role he played in the original 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, as well as the 'Hobbit' movies.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Ian McKellen says he could return as Gandalf in the upcoming new Lord of the Rings films.
00:05In a new interview, the 85-year-old actor revealed he's open to returning to the
00:09iconic role he played in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as the Hobbit movies.
00:14McKellen told British magazine Big Issue,
00:16"'I've just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and
00:20they hope that I'll be playing him. When? I don't know. What the script is,
00:24it's not written yet. So they better be quick.'"
00:26Back in May, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav shared that the company was in the early stages
00:31of script development for new Lord of the Rings films. The first movie has the working title of
00:35Lord of the Rings The Hunt for Gollum, with Andy Serkis set to star and direct the feature.
00:40Director Peter Jackson and his longtime writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens will be
00:44involved every step of the way and produce. Boyens and Walsh will write the screenplay.
00:49The interview, published on Tuesday, marked new comments from McKellen since falling offstage
00:53during a performance of Henry VI, parts 1 and 2 in London, when he lost his footing and fell
00:58during a fight scene. The show was canceled and the crowd was evacuated from the theater.
01:02McKellen had to cancel his remaining performances, including a UK tour of the show.
01:07McKellen told the publication of his health status,
01:09"'I'm left feeling weak physically, which I'm doing exercises for. And of course,
01:13it's emotional. We all trip all our lives. It's just when you get to my age,
01:17you can't always get up again.'" He went on to say,
01:20For more on this story, go to THR.com. This is The Hollywood Reporter News.