Sir Ian McKellen has confirmed he will once again don the grey robes of Gandalf in the upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, despite suffering serious injuries earlier this year.
The legendary actor, now 86, revealed that he is set to begin filming in New Zealand in May 2026, with the movie scheduled for release in December 2027. “Next year, I’m talking about going back to Middle Earth and reprising a little bit of Gandalf,” he said. “I am not slowing down.”
His determination comes after a shocking fall in June at the Noel Coward Theatre, where he tumbled off the stage during a performance of Henry IV, fracturing his wrist and chipping a vertebra. McKellen later admitted he felt “ashamed” and “emotional” for letting down audiences, adding that the incident made him realise “there isn’t much time left.”
Speaking about the frightening moment, he recalled: “There was something in my head saying, ‘This is the end.’ I fell into the lap of someone in the front row. Thanks to that lap — and the padding I was wearing — I did very little damage, but I thought I was a goner.”
Despite briefly pulling out of the international premiere of his recent film The Christophers on doctor’s orders, the veteran star has shown no signs of retirement. His resilience and passion for acting have left fans in awe, as the man who once said “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us” seems to be living that quote more fiercely than ever.
