Ian McKellen Has No Retirement Plans After Accident: 'I Won't Let Anyone Else Wear My Pointy Hat'

Ian McKellen – one of the most outstanding British stage and film actors in history – unfortunately fell off the stage in mid-July during the performance of “Player Kings” directed by Robert Icke at the Noël Coward Theatre in London. During the fight scene, McKellen lost ground and fell off the stage. He was quickly helped and taken to hospital, where it turned out that he had broken his wrist and injured his neck. The theatre informed at the time that the 85-year-old actor would not return to his role in subsequent performances.

READ ALSO: FAMOUS GANDALF IMPERATIVE FELL OFF STAGE

The actor told BBC Breakfast on Monday that he has no intention of giving up acting. “I'll do it as long as my legs, lungs and mind work,” McKellen said, adding that he'll be “resting until the end of the year.” “Not because I have to, just because I want to,” he explained.

The 85-year-old pointed out that his fall from the stage was a “complete accident” and had nothing to do with his age. He noted that during the fight scene, his foot got stuck in a chair and when he tried to free it, he lost his footing and fell.

McKellen gained international recognition for his role in the title role in Richard Loncraine's 1995 film “Richard III.” However, he was best known worldwide for his role as Gandalf in Peter Jackson's “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, for which he received his second nomination for Oscar in the category of best supporting actor in 2002. He had his first chance at an Academy Award in 1999 for his leading role in Bill Condon's “Gods and Monsters”.

The Briton not only doesn't plan pensionsin addition, he will appear again as Gandalf on the big screen thanks to the film “Lord of the Ring: The Hunt for Gollum” planned for 2026. In May of this year, Warner Bros. Discovery (the group that owns tvn24.pl) announced that a new series of “Lord of the Rings” will be created, and the first planned installment of “The Hunt of Gollum” will focus around Gollum. Andy Serkis, who is also the director of the film, will appear in this role.

– I won't let anyone wear that pointy hat and that beard if it depends on me – the actor said in an interview on Monday.

In a press release, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav noted that the creators of the cult “Lord of the Rings” trilogy: Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, “will be involved at every stage” of the production of new adaptations of JRR Tolkien's work.

Ian McKellen in another interview for the Big Issue stated that “The Lord of the Rings” still arouses great enthusiasm.

– I can't say much now. I only learned that there are more films planned, and Gandalf is to appear in all of them. The creators expressed hope that I will play Gandalf – said the actor.

– When? I don't know. What's in the scripts? They haven't been written yet, so I hope they hurry up – he added.