McKellen Open to Returning in New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Films
Click to viewIn an interview with a British magazine, the actor discussed returning to his iconic role.
"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,” McKellen said. “When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”
In May, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav shared the studio is “now in the early stages of script development” for new LotR films which are anticipated to come out in 2026 and will “explore storylines yet to be told.” The first film, from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures, has the working title of Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Andy Serkis set to star and direct the feature.
LotR director Peter Jackson and his longtime writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens “will be involved every step of the way” and produce. Boyens and Walsh will write the screenplay.
Sources: THR YouTube video, The Hollywood Reporter