Earlier this year, Warner Bros. and Embracer Group announced a new live-action ‘Lord of the Rings’ film directed by Andy Serkis. While the studios still didn’t release the full cast list, Ian McKellen already received an offer to appear as Gandalf in the prequel.
“Enthusiasm for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ shows no sign of abating,” the actor recently told The Big Issue. “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.”
‘The Hunt for Gollum’ is set for release in 2026 and has a creative team ready, but its production timeline is still uncertain. McKellen is not sure if he’ll be ‘available’ when filming begins.
“But there is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan. If I’m alive,” the 85-year-old actor said of his possible involvement back in June.
On the other hand, if it all works out, Ian McKellen’s Gandalf could be one of several characters from the original series returning in the prequel.
“It’s going to very much be the world of Middle Earth according to Gollum’s experience of it,” Serkis shared at the ACE Superhero Comic Con in June. “It is so early… But I will say that it will be a deep dive where we investigate Gollum’s character. There may be characters that we recognize that might be coming back. I’m not going to say who.”
Director Peter Jackson will produce ‘The Hunt for Gollum.’ Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote the original trilogy, will return to write the screenplay with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.
