Ian McKellen jokes that he’d consider playing Gandalf again in Gollum movie — 'If I'm alive'

The actor, 85, says in a new interview that he's heard the character might feature in "The Hunt for Gollum."

When it comes to playing Gandalf again in future Lord of the Rings installments, actor Ian McKellen says the opportunity shall not pass him by — with one important caveat.

In fact, the actor, 85, told The Times of London that he’s heard “stirrings in Tolkien land” and already has the appropriate long hair to reprise the part, due to his current role on London's West End as Falstaff in Player Kings.

McKellen may just get the chance to don the robes of Gandalf again. In May, Warner Bros. announced that Peter Jackson, who directed the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, is returning to Middle-earth to produce two more movies alongside longtime franchise collaborators Dame Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

One of the projects has been given the tentative title of Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and McKellen told The Times that he's heard Gandalf will feature in that film in some way, though nothing is official yet.

"There is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan," he told the outlet. When The Times pushed if he'd be interested should a LOTR opportunity come calling, he joked, “If I’m alive.”

Related: Ian McKellen has no plans to retire: 'I'm quite good at this acting thing now'

Warner Bros. also revealed that Andy Serkis, who played Sméagol/Gollum in both of Jackson’s trilogies, is attached to both direct and reprise his role in the The Hunt for Gollum, which features a screenplay by Walsh, Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou. Serkis will executive-produce with his close collaborator Jonathan Cavendish and Ken Kamins. Both aforementioned projects are tentatively slated for a 2026 release, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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McKellen previously played the character of Gandalf in both the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies, based off the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. The British actor has been open in recent years about his lack of desire to retire, telling Variety last year, "Retire to do what? I've never been out of work, but I'm aware that any minute now something could happen to me which could prevent me from ever working again. But while the knees hold up and the memory remains intact, why shouldn't I carry on? I really feel I'm quite good at this acting thing now."

Related: Peter Jackson to make more Lord of the Rings films, Andy Serkis sets Gollum's return

Though he's currently hard at work in Player Kings, McKellen told The Times another project he hopes to do in the near future is reprising his role in Frank and Percy, a play that he and friend Roger Allam brought to the West End last year that he hopes will become a film.

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