Lord Of The Rings fans divided over Gandalf casting in new movie

In The Lord of the Rings universe, Gandalf is one of its most popular characters and he could be making a comeback in an upcoming movie.

Earlier this year, a new The Lord of the Rings movie was announced with The Hunt for Gollum and it will be directed by Andy Serkis, which is very fitting when you consider that he played Sméagol aka Gollum in Peter Jackson’s J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations.

Check out The Lord of the Rings trailer below!

Unlike the previous Peter Jackson movies, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be an original story, not an adaptation of any novel. It will also be produced by Peter Jackson with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens writing the script already in early production.

Details on The Hunt for Gollum are vague at this time, but it’s been reported by Deadline that Andy Serkis’ team have approached Sir Ian McKellen to reprise his role once more as the legendary wizard, Gandalf.

When talking to The Big Issue magazine, 85-year-old McKellen who seemingly has shown no sign of retiring anytime soon (thankfully), said: “Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating … 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.”

As great as this news may be, not everyone is excited and some fans on Reddit are concerned. “While I would absolutely love to see him don the hat and become Gandalf again, I just hope it's not at the cost of his health,” said limark. “Not sure if he'll be up for travelling anytime soon.”

“I think they should use his voice as a flashback type deal or off-screen narrator,” Wharbaby exclaimed. “It’s either that or get a new actor. He’s just so fragile and I want him to live forever.”

“I already find it unsettling that Gandalf looks older in The Hobbit and The Fellowship, now he's going to be even older.” replied nwaa making a very valid point. However, in that respect, that could be countered with the ever-impressive de-aging technology that has often worked so well for the MCU.

Not much else on the topic was said, but with Sir Ian McKellen mentioning the prospect of him reprising the role of Gandalf in the upcoming movie, I like to think that there have already been some positive conversations taking place.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum does not have a confirmed release date at the time of writing but it is currently scheduled to launch sometime in 2026. We’ll keep you posted when we hear further details.