Sir Ian McKellen Confirms The Lord of the Rings Legend Will Appear in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Fans of Middle-earth just got some big news. Sir Ian McKellen, the actor who brought Gandalf the Grey to life in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, hinted that the famous hobbit could be back on screen in the upcoming movie The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

The reveal happened at the For the Love of Fantasy fan event in London, where McKellen spoke to an excited audience. “I hear there’s going to be another movie based 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,” he said, referring to Andy Serkis, who is set to both direct and star in the new project.

Then McKellen dropped a bigger surprise. “I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting: There’s a character in the movie called Frodo, and there’s a character in the movie called Gandalf,” he teased, smiling as the crowd reacted with gasps. He laughed and added, “Apart from that, my lips are sealed!”

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Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in the original trilogy, was at the same event, along with Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and John Rhys-Davies. Though McKellen didn’t confirm if he or Wood would officially reprise their roles, the timing of his comments and Wood’s grin while standing nearby sparked plenty of speculation.

The movie is part of a larger plan from Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, who signed a new deal to produce more live-action films set in Tolkien’s world after Middle-earth Enterprises was bought by Embracer Group.

Producer Peter Jackson and longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are returning to oversee the new films. Boyens recently explained that two projects are in early development, with The Hunt for Gollum being the first. She also noted that Gandalf is included in their ideas for both films.

Andy Serkis confirmed earlier this year that filming will begin in 2026, with Wellington, New Zealand once again serving as the production base. The film is now scheduled to be released on December 17, 2027.

At the same time, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav spoke about the project during the company’s quarterly earnings call. He described The Hunt for Gollum as one of the studio’s top priorities, placing it alongside upcoming Batman, Superman, and Harry Potter films.

McKellen had previously said he was open to playing Gandalf again if the opportunity came up.

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