Ian McKellen Talks Gandalf's Return in THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM: “Who Would Have Thought There Was More?”
Fans are heading back to Middle-earth once again, and Ian McKellen is officially stepping back into Gandalf’s robes for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
Considering how complete Peter Jackson’s original trilogy felt, it’s pretty wild hearing McKellen casually joke that there’s apparently still more story left to tell.
While attending a London Q&A for his new film The Christophers, the actor briefly touched on returning to Tolkien’s world during a conversation about the kinds of projects he’s interested in taking on at this point in his career.
McKellen explained that he already has another stage production lined up for after his next trip to Middle-earth, saying:
"I'm going back to do more Gandalf. Who would have thought there was more? The person who thought there was more was Andy Serkis, and he's going to be directing Gollum's early life."
Serkis directing a story centered on Gollum seems like a natural fit considering nobody knows that tortured creature better than the actor who helped redefine motion-capture performances in the first place. But, at the same time, Serkis has never really directed a good movie. So, I hope he can pull this off.
McKellen also gave a thoughtful answer when asked whether there are specific roles he’s still chasing after decades of legendary performances. His response offered a cool glimpse into what still motivates him creatively:
"No. It's an interesting question. It's always nice to play the baddie, you know. The devil has the best shoes. Only occasionally, you play a good man like Gandalf, but they don't come along very often. But am I looking for something in particular?
“No, I think I'm always looking for a script that will resonate beyond itself. It's not just a simple story, not just an Agatha Christie… something more complicated that will make an audience, as I like to when I'm in the cinema or in the theater for a play, lean forward, gasp, laugh, a day to think about, talk about. I think, when I do, at this point, [what] I'm looking is for something that nobody else has ever done."
The actor also talked about experimenting with newer creative projects recently, including his mixed-reality Simon Stevens production An Ark and his “lip-syncing” performance connected to the BBC documentary LS Lowry: The Unheard Tapes. But naturally, Middle-earth is the thing grabbing everyone’s attention right now.
McKellen won’t be the only familiar face returning for The Hunt for Gollum, either. Elijah Wood is back as Frodo Baggins, while Lee Pace returns as Thranduil. Serkis will once again play Gollum in addition to directing the film.
The newer cast members are also pretty interesting. Kate Winslet joins the franchise as Marigol, Leo Woodall plays Halvard, and Jamie Dornan takes on Strider, also known as Aragorn, the role immortalized by Viggo Mortensen in the original trilogy.
Serkis recently commented on the Aragorn casting while trying not to reveal too much too early: "I really, really don't want to go into it right now because I do want to save that for further down the line.
“We're at a crunch stage now, we're just about to start shooting. We're not far off shooting. So, I'm going to save all discussion about casting, other than that, we are thrilled that Jamie's doing it. We're absolutely thrilled. And, by the way, so is Viggo."
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is currently set to hit theaters on December 17, 2027.
Source: GamesRadar+