Sir Ian McKellen has confirmed he will reprise his role as Gandalf in the forthcoming Lord of the Rings film, The Hunt for Gollum. The 86-year-old actor, who played the wizard in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy and The Hobbit films, made the announcement during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
While it was previously known that Gandalf would appear in the film, directed by and starring Andy Serkis as Gollum, McKellen’s involvement had not been confirmed until now. Teasing his return, he said: “Yes, I put on the pointy hat and the beard and the nose and the eyebrows and the moustache.”
However, McKellen expressed concern about the timing of the shoot, which begins in New Zealand this July. “It’s unfortunate, because it’s winter down there and I’m not sure I want to be out there in the wind and the rain,” he told the US late-night host.
The film will also see the return of Frodo Baggins, though Elijah Wood has yet to confirm his involvement. McKellen noted that the project reunites the core creative team from the original trilogy, including Serkis and producer Philippa Boyens. He said: “It’s very much that core original group getting back together to tell this story.”
McKellen previously said his return depended on whether “the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working”. The actor sustained wrist and neck injuries in a fall on stage in June 2024, but remarked: “I’m not letting anyone else put on the pointy hat and beard if I can help it.” Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, has also expressed willingness to return if the role is faithful to J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled for release in 2027.
