When “The Hunt for Gollum” was announced as the next entry in the Lord of the Rings franchise, fans immediately began speculating about which, if any, of the original cast members would return. Andy Serkis was confirmed right away, but many potential actors and characters remain unaccounted for. What say you, Ian McKellen: is it time to bring back Gandalf?

Now 85, Ian McKellen has stated that he is as in the dark about “The Hunt for Gollum” as the rest of the Lord of the Rings cast. However, he acknowledged the possibility of reprising his role as Gandalf. In an interview with The Times, he confirmed, “There is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan.” When asked if he would accept the role should everything fall into place, he replied, “If I’m alive.” He even noted, with humor, that he has a head start on the beard, as he is currently playing Shakespeare’s Falstaff on stage.

McKellen’s response humorously reassures fans that, as long as he is alive, he is up for playing Gandalf once more. This prospect would be warmly welcomed by fans, as McKellen has been one of the franchise’s iconic figures, appearing in both the original Lord of the Rings trilogy and the three Hobbit movies. In addition to McKellen, Viggo Mortensen has expressed willingness to reprise his role as Aragorn, provided it suits the character. So that’s at least two tentative approvals.

Explaining why Gollum deserves his own movie, Peter Jackson, who has handed directing duties to Andy Serkis, stated, “I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike because there’s a little bit of him in all of us. We want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films.” Regarding other potential Lord of the Rings stars that might appear, he added, “It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.”