It seems J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary The Lord of the Rings will never cease being popular as Ian McKellen might return as Gandalf in its latest film.

McKellen starred as the iconic wizard Gandalf over twenty years ago and has become a face of the series alongside its original main cast, returning as the wizard for the prequel Hobbit films as well as numerous video game adaptations.

McKellen teased his return as the Grey Pilgrim for the 2026-bound spinoff film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which stars Andy Serkis as Gollum, who is also directing.

“I’m told Gandalf’s involved but I’m not yet told how much he’s going to be paid or how much he gets to say, so I think we’ll leave it there,” McKellen said to Sky News.

Other separate interviews had McKellen teasing more about his potential return to Tolkien’s universe, suggesting the new film is very early in production.

“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,” McKellen said to The Big Issue (via Deadline).

He added, “When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So, they better be quick.” The 85-year-old actor has recovered from falling off stage in Player Kings in London’s West End, though shows no signs of retiring from acting.

The new interviews come from a media tour McKellen is hosting for his first feature film in years, The Critic, which stars the film legend as an equally notable critic in the 1930s-set novel from 2015 titled Curtain Call. A premiere is set for September 13th in the Americas and the UK.

Not much else is known about The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum save that Serkis is acting and directing under Warner Bros., with original film series director Peter Jackson producing alongside longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.