Ian McKellen reveals Gandalf set to return to new ‘Lord of the Rings’ film: “My lips are sealed”
Ian McKellen has hinted that his iconic character Gandalf could be returning to the new spin-off The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
The veteran actor was speaking on a panel for the film franchise at the For Love of Fantasy event in London over the weekend, when he revealed some exclusive secrets about the upcoming blockbuster, set to be directed by Andy Serkis.
Per Entertainment Weekly, he mused: “I hear there’s going to be another movie set in Middle-earth, and it’s going to start filming in May. It’s going to be directed by Gollum and it’s all about Gollum.”
However, McKellen then went on to reveal a huge bombshell as he added: “I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting: there’s a character in the movie called Frodo, and there’s another character called Gandalf. Apart from that, my lips are sealed!”
Despite this, the actor did not make it exactly clear whether he and Elijah Wood, who originally played Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, would be reprising their roles in the new film.
The movie is set to not only focus on the character of Gollum, but will also be directed by Serkis, who voiced him in the Lord of the Rings franchise and The Hobbit films.
Apart from McKellen’s latest announcement, very little else is known about the plot and casting for The Hunt for Gollum. Alongside Serkis, the creative team will be made up of the franchise’s original director Peter Jackson, as well as his production partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum was originally slated for release next year, but this was later pushed back, with the film set to hit the big screen on December 17th, 2027.
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