The Hunt for Gollum: Ian McKellen On Playing "A Good Man Like Gandalf"
· BCPosted in: Movies, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros | Tagged: andy serkis, ian mckellen, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
The Hunt for Gollum: Ian McKellen On Playing "A Good Man Like Gandalf"
Ian McKellen on how rare it is to have the opportunity to play "a good man like Gandalf," a role he is reprising in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
Published Tue, 12 May 2026 19:57:10 -0500
by Kaitlyn Booth
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Article Summary
- Ian McKellen discusses his return as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis.
- McKellen says playing a good man like Gandalf is rare, explaining why the iconic Lord of the Rings role still appeals.
- The Hunt for Gollum is set between Bilbo’s birthday party and the Mines of Moria, exploring an untold Middle-earth story.
- Warner Bros. has dated The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum for December 17, 2027, as the first of two new films.
When Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema announced that more Lord of the Rings movies were on the way, it was one of the movie announcements that was both surprising and entirely expected. The first three films changed movies as we know them, while the second run of movies reminded everyone what happens if you try to stretch a story too much for financial gain. They tried to do the right thing with the recent animated film, but it failed to find an audience. There was still a lot of time to explore, and now we have two more live-action movies on the way, the first of which is titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Several familiar and new faces have been confirmed to return for this film, including Ian McKellen as Gandalf. McKellen was involved in all six live-action films, so getting him involved in this one makes sense. He was recently part of a Q&A in London for his film The Christophers (via GamesRadar+) and discussed the roles he was taking on at the time.
McKellen had always been heavily involved with live theater, so it wasn't surprising to hear him mention a play he'd be in "when I come back from Middle-earth." McKellen went on to say, "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." The answer is a bit cheeky, but if anyone is allowed to be cheeky about Lord of the Rings, it's Ian McKellen.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum isn't the only film in which McKellen reprises another iconic role. He's also set to play Magneto in Avengers: Doomsday, so he's revisiting two of his iconic roles. When asked if he prioritizes one kind of role over another, he replied, "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 Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum isn't just McKellen bringing this character back to tell more stories, but he's getting to bring a character back that's a good man, and it sounds like that might be the thing that appeals to him.
The Hunt for Gollum Is The First Of Two New Live-Action LOTR Films
We first learned that franchise MVP Serkis would direct and star in The Hunt for Gollum, with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens writing the screenplay, and Walsh, Boyens, and Peter Jackson are producing along with Zane Weiner back in May 2024. The film will be executive-produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium's Jonathan Cavendish. In October 2024, Boyens revealed when the film will take place, "It's quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria. It's a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature."
That same interview was when it was cleared up that The Hunt for Gollum is not two films, but they are working on two different live-action Lord of the Rings movies, and The Hunt for Gollum is one of them. "I can tell you definitively it isn't two films!" she says. "That was a genuine misunderstanding that happened because we've begun to work, conceptually, on two different live-action films. The first being The Hunt For Gollum, the second one still to be confirmed." We still don't have any specific details about that second film yet. However, considering how badly The War of the Rohirrim performed at the box office, it wouldn't be surprising if we didn't hear much until the number for The Hunt for Gollum rolls in on Monday after release. In May 2025, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (it's unclear whether or not this is still a working title) was dated for December 17, 2027.
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