Sir Ian Mckellan has said he has no plans to retire from acting, and he does not want any other actor to play Gandalf in the forthcoming Lord of the Rings film.
The 85-year-old fell off stage in June whilst performing in Player Kings in London’s West End, breaking his wrist and chipping one of his vertebrae. Sir Ian said: “I shall just keep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working.
But, the actor added, he is looking to “take the rest of the year off”. Sir Ian famously played Gandalf in the hugely successful Lord of the Rings franchise, a new installment of which, The Hunt for Gollum, is due to be released in 2026.
Discussing the possibility of appearing in the new film, Sir Ian commented: “I’m not letting anyone else put on the pointy hat and beard if I can help it. Sir Ian played Gandalf in the first three films and The Hobbit trilogy, all directed by New Zealand film-maker Peter Jackson. A new batch of The Lord Of The Rings films is in the works with Andy Serkis directing and starring as Gollum. Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating,” Sir Ian said in a separate interview with the Big Issue.
“I can’t tell you any more than that. I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him. When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So, they better be quick.
Source: BBC
In other news – Film set explosion causes blaze opposite O2 arena
A “controlled explosion” on a London film set sparked a fire that destroyed a van and damaged two other vehicles near the O2 arena.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said they had sent 25 firefighters and four fire engines to the scene, near Dock Road and Trinity Buoy Wharf in Silvertown, at 7.51pm on Saturday. Read more
