Open in App
  • Local
  • Headlines
  • Election
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • Education
  • Real Estate
  • Newsletter
  • New York Post

    Elijah Wood leads ‘Lord of the Rings’ reunion — as Ian McKellen teases his Gandalf future in franchise

    By Alexandra Bellusci,

    2024-09-03

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Z1eTH_0vJEI6Xo00

    Ian McKellen is all in when it comes to revisiting Middle-earth.

    The 85-year-old revealed that although he is on board with reprising his role as the wizard Gandalf in the upcoming new “Lord of the Rings” movies , it needs to happen sooner rather than later.

    In an interview with Big Issue published Monday, McKellen hinted that he won’t be acting forever.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3Qnxld_0vJEI6Xo00
    Ian McKellen in “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” Warner Bros
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=32OONz_0vJEI6Xo00
    Ian McKellen ad Elijah Wood in the 2001 film “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” Warner Bros

    “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,” he said. “When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”

    Ian McKellen avoids going out after ‘horrible’ stage fall: ‘I’ve been dealing with agonizing pain’

    McKellen played the wise wizard in the film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels.

    The English actor first appeared as Gandalf in the 2001 movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” which earned him an Academy Award nomination. After starring in “The Two Towers” (2002) and “The Return of the King” (2003), he reprised his role in the “Hobbit” films.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2hbR8C_0vJEI6Xo00
    Ian McKellen poses for photographers upon arriving at the European premiere of “The Critic” in London on September 2, 2024. AP

    Now, filmmakers Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis are teaming up for “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” which is scheduled to hit theaters in 2026.

    Jackson told Deadline in May about how the film will depict the Gollum character that “it’s too soon to know who will cross his path.”

    Actor Ian McKellen, 85, will not return to role after stage fall

    “We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films,” he continued. “Suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.”

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2ABdpA_0vJEI6Xo00
    Sir Ian McKellen attends the European premiere after-party for “The Critic” at Little House Mayfair on September 2, 2024 in London. Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/WireImage

    These days, the performer is recovering from his fall offstage during a West End performance in June. Last month, McKellen told Saga Magazine that he’s been taking it easy since the incident, in which he chipped a vertebra and fractured his wrist.

    “My chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist are not yet healed,” he explained. “I avoid going out because I’m nervous someone might bump into me, and I’ve been dealing with agonizing pain in my shoulders due to the jolt my body took. But the fat suit I wore for Falstaff saved my ribs and other joints, so I consider myself lucky.”

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0qu5Ax_0vJEI6Xo00
    “Lord of the Rings” actor Dominic Monaghan shared a photo of himself seated at a table with his fellow stars Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd. dom_monaghan_/Instagram
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4HjRse_0vJEI6Xo00
    “Lord of The Rings” Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins in the film. New line Cinema

    CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR MORNING REPORT NEWSLETTER

    Elsewhere in the “Lord of the Rings” universe, several franchise stars held a mini cast reunion over the weekend.

    On Sunday, Dominic Monaghan posted a picture of himself at a table with fellow hobbits Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd. The trio raised their glasses in a toast as they smiled for the camera.

    “Some things never change,” the actor, 47, captioned the photo .

    The reunion comes four months after Monaghan, Wood, 43, and Boyd, 56, got together with Orlando Bloom, who played the elf Legolas in the Oscar-winning films.

    “3 hobbits and an elf and the CONVERSATION tonight was VAULTED,” Monaghan wrote on Instagram at the time.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0XSBgF_0vJEI6Xo00
    Dominic Monaghan, Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Sean Astin in a scene from the fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” New Line Cinema

    In the meantime, fans have the “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” TV series to hold them over, as Prime Video launched Season 2 last Thursday.

    “We’re also going to be the fans taking in what I know, even without having seen it, is the most epic battle sequence that we have coming up for season 2,” the series’ star Cynthia Addai-Robinson told Entertainment Weekly in July.

    “It feels really cinematic this season. You know in the first season that was the case as well, but I just think we’ve got to top ourselves, and I feel like we’ve done that. So I’m excited just to watch it myself.”

    For the latest in entertainment, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/entertainment/

    Expand All
    Comments /
    Add a Comment
    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
    Local News newsLocal News

    Comments / 0