Ian McKellen had originated so many great roles in his lifetime from X-Men’s Magneto to Sherlock Holmes, but it looks like he could be going back to one of his most infamous cinematic roles from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
And no, it’s not Gus the Theatre Cat from the musical Cats.
Ian McKellen Asked to Reprise Gandalf
Deadline reports that McKellen has been asked to reprise the role of Gandalf in the upcoming prequel movie which has been given the working title The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. No details have been given on how large Gandalf’s role would be in the film, but since he’s been alive pretty much since the beginning of the Third Age, he could very well be traveling around Middle-earth, solving all kinds of problems and smoking some Longbottom Leaf.
At 85, fans would naturally think that McKellen would be too old to play a surprisingly physically demanding role like Gandalf, but McKellen has said that he’s very enthusiastic about returning as the character. McKellen had told Big Issue, “Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating … I can’t tell you any more than that. 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.”
Originating Gandalf
McKellen had been cast as Gandalf in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. After getting critical acclaim for his portrayal, he was asked to reprise the wizard again a few years later during the making of the Hobbit trilogy—which was apparently kind of taxing for the veteran actor since he had to act against a lot of green screen.
Fans thought that The Hobbit would be McKellen’s final portrayal of the character since there would be no more Middle-earth lore to adapt, but everyone is getting surer everyday that Daniel Weyman’s “Stranger” character from The Rings of Power is a younger Gandalf who is figuring out who he is right after he is sent to Middle-earth by the Valar.
Though it would have been nice for McKellen to portray Gandalf for the prequel as well, his casting would be a dead giveaway as to who the Stranger is, especially seeing as the mystery of the character’s identity is one of his main arcs. Plus, McKellen may not be spry enough to be walking around and doing magic battles at his age anymore.
With Hunt for Gollum though, it’s possible that they could just have him doing some exposition. There’s also the likelihood that they just get a stuntperson to do all the action—like they did with Christopher Lee in the Hobbit trilogy.
What is The Hunt for Gollum about?
So far, The Hunt for Gollum is said to be a story about a younger Aragorn who would be on the hunt for the corrupted Halfling. Andy Serkis is set to direct and reprise his role as Gollum; and original trilogy writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens will be providing the script alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (LOTR: The War of the Rohirrim).
It’s unclear when fans will get a first official look at the movie, but Hunt of Gollum is said to be aiming for a release sometime in 2026.