News has circled Gandalf’s return in the planned 2026 movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which may raise questions for fans of the franchise. With The Hobbit and J.R.R. Tolkien’s original Lord of the Rings saga already adapted to the screen, Hollywood has shifted toward adapting narratives from Middle-earth that audiences may be less familiar with. For example, 2026’s The Hunt for Gollum movie is based on the appendices of The Return of the King, taking a small portion of information and transforming it into a feature film.

Similarly, Amazon Prime Video’s The Rings of Power is based on the entire history of Middle-earth’s second age, thousands of years earlier in the Lord of the Rings timeline. 2024’s The War of the Rohirrim is also based on the appendices of The Return of the King. There aren’t any direct stories left for Hollywood to adapt, so they’ve shifted their focus to mining Tolkien’s expanded lore and writing for nuggets of compelling narrative and using them to construct entirely new stories. The Hunt for Gollum is the first project that could see major actors from the original movies return.

Why Gandalf Is Returning In The Hunt For Gollum

The Film’s Events Take Place During The Fellowship Of The Ring

In the order of events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hunt for Gollum won’t necessarily be a prequel or a sequel. The film’s plot takes place during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, occurring when Gandalf leaves the Shire to gather information about the One Ring. In the film, this happens in a matter of moments, with Gandalf riding to Minas Tirith, researching in the library, and then returning. In the book, this takes years, and Gandalf sends Aragorn on a side quest during this period of time.

With Andy Serkis directing and wanting to explore the Gollum character more, he’ll probably have the bulk of the attentionFrom the limited information regarding The Hunt for Gollum movie, Gandalf will be one of the main characters but likely won’t have a significant amount of screen time. With Andy Serkis directing and wanting to explore the Gollum character more, he’ll probably have the bulk of the attention, with Aragorn as a secondary character who spends the movie hunting Gollum. Given how Peter Jackson’s trilogy already framed Gollum as more sympathetic, it will be fascinating to see him as the protagonist, with Aragorn and Gandalf working against him.

Will Ian McKellen Play Gandalf In 2026’s Lord Of The Rings Movie? (& How It Could Work)

Warner Bros. Has Invited Ian McKellen To Return To The Role

Custom Image by Debanjana Chowdhury

It’s hard to imagine anyone stepping into the role of Gandalf after Ian McKellen’s iconic performance in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. Luckily, Ian McKellen recently spoke with Deadline about the possibility of his return, saying he’s been approached for the role: “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.“ In recent interviews, the 85-year-old actor has spoken about the late stage of his career, suggesting he’s encouraged to continue working as long as he can.

Ian McKellen returning to Lord of the Rings is a definite possibility, though de-aging technology would be in the cards if it happens. With that having been said, it would be strange to see McKellen return and have a different Aragorn. There’s been no word on Viggo Mortensen, but if he were to return, he’d also require CGI to represent the version of him audiences were used to in The Fellowship of the Ring. Given that the film’s main character will be motion capture, it’s not such a stretch of the imagination for Mortensen and McKellen to use similar technology.

What Gandalf’s Return Means For The Hunt For Gollum’s Story

Gandalf & Aragorn Will Work In Tandem To Capture Gollum

The story of The Hunt for Gollum could sort of be pulled off without Gandalf present. In Appendix B of The Return of the King, there are only a few passages regarding the movie’s events, and none of them explicitly state that Gandalf ever manages to find Gollum, only Aragorn. But involving Gandalf means the story will tie more closely to The Fellowship of the Ring because, as Aragorn is sent to finally capture Gollum in the year 3017, Gandalf is studying the scroll of Isildur in Minas Tirith, which is shown in the original film.

The process of Gandalf and Aragorn’s search begins in the year 3001, just after Bilbo’s party. The majority of the searching occurs between 3009 and 3017, though Gollum is eventually found and caught in Mordor instead. The Hunt for Gollum movie will likely condense these events, in which case Gandalf can essentially serve as a quest-giver to send Aragorn on his mission.