Ian McKellen dropped a magical bomb about the next “The Lord of the Rings” film.
During the “For the Love of Fantasy” event in London on Sunday, the 86-year-old actor suggested that he and Elijah Wood are returning for “The Hunt for Gollum,” which is currently slated for release in Dec. 2027.
“I hear there’s going to be another movie set 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, but I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting,” McKellen said in a video from the fan event.
“There’s a character in the movie called Frodo and there’s another character called Gandalf,” he added, referring to the characters played by Wood, 44, and himself, respectively.
After the audience cheered, McKellen told the crowd: “Apart from that, my lips are sealed.”
Wood was also at the fan event alongside McKellen and their co-stars Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and John Rhys-Davies, but he didn’t confirm the news himself.
The Post has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
Original Gollum actor Andy Serkis is set to direct and star in “The Hunt for Gollum.”
Warner Bros. first announced the film last summer. Peter Jackson, who directed the original “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, is producing the upcoming movie with his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
Boyens, 63, told Empire magazine in October that “The Hunt for Gollum” will feature “quite an intense story” that “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,” added Boyens.
In a Nov. 2024 interview with Big Issue, McKellen stated that he’s interested in playing Gandalf again.
“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,” McKellen shared. “When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”
The “Lord of the Rings” film series, based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels, started with 2001’s “The Followship of the Ring.” Two sequels, 2002’s “The Two Towers” and 2003’s “The Return of the King,” followed.
The franchise expanded to “The Hobbit” trilogy films which were also directed by Jackson, 63, and released in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” is expected to come out on Dec. 17, 2027.
