You shall not pass… up the opportunity to return to Lord of the Rings.
Lord of the Rings legend Sir Ian McKellen has revealed that he is open to donning the wizard robe and pointy hat once more in the upcoming Gollum film – under one very specific (and slightly dark) condition.
It was recently announced that Andy Serkis would return to both direct and star in The Hunt for Gollum, bringing everyone’s favourite Stoor Hobbit back to the big screen.
And this has prompted many LOTR fans to ask the question: will other iconic characters return too?
Well, speaking to The Times about the recent “stirrings in Tolkien land”, 85-year-old McKellen teased: “I haven’t shaved in months.”
The veteran actor went on to add, “There is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan,” but when asked if he would be interested in returning, he said, “If I’m alive.”
The two-time Oscar nominee certainly shows no signs of slowing down, having recently lent his talents to everything from narrating Sky Max comedy Ted to leading Sean Mathias’s modern take on Hamlet, and to see him back in his most popular role would certainly help to ensure the highly-anticipated Hunt for Gollum wins over any sceptics.
One major Lord of the Rings name confirmed to return for the film, though, is Peter Jackson, who directed both the original trilogy and Hobbit series, and will produce alongside Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, with the trio “involved every step of the way”.
The movie will “explore storylines yet to be told”, according to Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, and is “now in the early stages of script development”, with Walsh, Boyens, Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou attached as writers.
While we know Serkis is set to return as Gollum, further cast members are yet to be announced.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.