Sir Ian McKellen is hoping to return as Gandalf in the new Lord of the Rings movies.

The 85-year-old star played the wizard in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy and is determined to reprise the role in the upcoming set of films that Gollum actor Andy Serkis will direct.

McKellen told the Big Issue magazine: “Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings films shows no sign of abating. I can’t tell you any more than that. I’ve just been told that there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him.”

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

In a separate interview with BBC Breakfast, he added: “I’m not letting anyone else put on the pointy hat and beard if I can help it.”

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McKellen broke his wrist and chipped a vertebra when he fell off the stage during a performance of Player Kings in London’s West End in June but declared that he has no intention of retiring from acting.

The X-Men star said: “I shall just keep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working.”

McKellen isn’t the only actor to express an interest in returning to the epic fantasy franchise as Elijah Wood said recently that it would be “pretty incredible” if he got the chance to play Frodo Baggins again.

Speaking to JoBlo, he said: “It would be pretty incredible. I have to say, any return to New Zealand to work with those individuals within the context of that world would be … jumping back into a world that’s so beloved and means so much to me. So yeah, it would be awesome.”

Serkis’ film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum, is currently scheduled for release in 2026.