Ian McKellen teases return as Gandalf in 'The Lord of the Rings' sequels

Sir Ian McKellen has no intention to enjoy retirement and has even been offered the role of Gandalf for the upcoming The Lord of the Rings movies.

This comes after the legendary actor had a terrible onstage fall earlier this year, where he fell from the stage into the audience. McKellen was acting in the play Player Kings when the accident happened, leaving him with a fractured wrist and more injuries.

Despite suffering many injuries, the 85-year-old star says he may just reprise his iconic role of the wizard Gandalf.

“I shall just keep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working,” he told the BBC.

Regarding Gandalf, he said, “I’m not letting anyone else put on the pointy hat and beard if I can help it.”

McKellen played the character in a total of six films, which included Peter Jackson’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and the prequel The Hobbit trilogy.

The franchise will next release, The Hunt For Gollum, a film starring Andy Serkis (who’s also set to direct), set to hit theaters in 2026.

The X-Men star said more of the franchise in an interview with Big Issue recently, saying: “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,” he continued.

“When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So, they better be quick,” he added before saying that he’ll play the character “if I’m alive”.