“But there’s no script, there is no offer”: 85-Year-Old Ian McKellen Would Return as Gandalf in The Hunt For Gollum If He’s Still Alive
Regarded as a British cultural icon, Sir Ian McKellen has a career spanning more than sixty years and is one of the most respected actors in the industry. With his experience and love for stage and cinema, he has appeared in numerous successful movies and theater productions. The veteran actor became a household name with his portrayal of fan-favorite characters Magento in the X-Men movies and Gandalf in Peter Jackon’s trilogy adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
The legendary actor was highly praised for portraying the wizard in the movies, which earned him the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor. Not only has he portrayed the character on-screen, but also voiced the character of Gandalf in various video game adaptations of the franchise. The 85-year-old actor weighs his return to the franchise for the new Lord of the Rings movie.
Ian McKellen addresses his return as Gandalf for The Hunt of Gollum
One of the most respected actors in the industry, Sir Ian McKellen, has dedicated more than sixty years of his life to cinema, during which he has portrayed some of the most iconic characters on screen. In the Lord of the Rings, Gandalf is just one of those characters.
In a recent interview with The Times, the actor was asked if he’d be interested in reprising his character in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt of Gollum. To which he said,
But there is no script, there is no offer, and there is no plan.
The actor paused and continued by joking and stating that he’d be interested if ‘he were still alive‘. The 85-year-old actor is all set to play Falstaff in Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre. He spoke about his age during the interview, noting that every time he accepts an offer, he wonders if it’s going to be his last.
If you want to know that you are mortal, you just have to look at your address book. And so when a script comes through or a hint of an offer, you think, ‘This might be my last job. No, I’m not doing that.’
Talking about his Falstaff character, he said that he never got Falstaff and he never thought he was funny either, but Rob Icke has a honey tongue, adding that he noted that Falstaff is thoroughly an objectionable person. McKellen mentioned that Icke said that Falstaff is a liar, hypocrite, glutton, drunk, and careless with his relationships. He noted that Icke made him think that a man with such an objectionable personality must have some sort of charm that he could make people laugh, so he was going to portray all the negatives against the standard, which is why he accepted.
Player Kings will be playing at the Noël Coward Theatre, London WC2, until June 22, 2024, before heading for tour until 27th July 2024.
The Hunt for Gollum to explore uncovered stories from past The Lord of the Rings movies
Filmmaker Peter Jackson shared earlier with Deadline what the audience can expect from The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, starring Andy Serkis, who is also serving as the director of the movie. He said,
The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is arguably quite sympathetic. I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike because there’s a little bit of both of them in all of us.
The filmmaker added that they wanted to explore his backstory and delve into the parts of his journey that they couldn’t uncover in earlier movies. However, he added that it’s soon to be known who will cross Gollum’s path, but suffice it to say that they will take the lead from Professor Tolkien.
Talking about Andy Serkis, Jackson added that it was a joy to work with him on directing Second Unite on The Hobbit, pointing out that he has the energy and imagination. The filmmaker noted that the most important trait of Serkis is the fact that he has an understanding of the world of the story that needs to take a step back in Middle-earth.
Peter Jackson shared with the publication that they have collaborated on eight movies, and each time their experience of working together has been fantastic. There is no one better equipped to tackle Gollum than Adny Serkis.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is available to stream on HBO MAX.
