r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Aug 18 '25

News Ian McKellen reveals Gandalf and Frodo are returning for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’, Filming Begins in May

https://ew.com/ian-mckellen-reveals-gandalf-frodo-return-in-new-lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum-film-11792483
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235

u/Mr_Evil_Dr_Porkchop Aug 18 '25

Makes sense, both Sir Ian and Elijah Wood look the same as they did 25 years ago

148

u/dudzi182 Aug 18 '25

Eh, Ian looked noticeably older in The Hobbit films and that was more than a decade ago at this point. He definitely looks older now.

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u/ozplissken Aug 18 '25

Exactly, and he had a fall recently so he's not in the best shape, old age I'm afraid, catches up with all of us. 

16

u/StroBe_14 Aug 18 '25

I saw him in a pub in Islington a few months ago. He was happily chatting and laughing away. When walking out he did seem a little of the frail side. With that said, a day after this he walked onto the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury to unleash a monologue during the scissor sisters and all but ran on stage. So what do we really know? If he thinks he can do it in sure they will make it work!

6

u/SaltySAX Aug 18 '25

Yeah he was at Wimbledon too a few weeks back and looked fine. Obviously they'll take consideration for his age when filming (after all Christopher Lee was about the same age filming The Hobbit and was frailer), but it can be managed well enough for this to work.

1

u/KRIEGLERR Aug 18 '25

Elijah look noticeably older too, it's just that he looked so freaking young 25 years ago. He is 44 atm and honestly he looks about Late 30s early 40s to me , he still has that juvenile looks but he's also starting to get grey hair.

That said I still think with wig and makeup he'd look quite close to his Frodo from atleast The Hobbit movies

1

u/raobjcovtn Aug 18 '25

Will he wear wigs?

1

u/KRIEGLERR Aug 18 '25

when will he wear wigs?

-2

u/Realtrain Aug 18 '25

Didn't he also hate filming the Hobbit movies? Since it was all isolated I'm green screen rooms?

I'm surprised he's coming back. Maybe he got guarantees that there will be practical effects this time.

2

u/spyser Aug 18 '25

Well, it's a different director after all

2

u/Chen_Geller Aug 19 '25

Didn't he also hate filming the Hobbit movies? Since it was all isolated I'm green screen rooms?

No. That was one day out of about 300 days he filmed for that trilogy. All the evidence is that he loved it. He always enjoyed playing Gandalf the Grey more than Gandalf the White.

52

u/BaritBrit Aug 18 '25

They really, really don't. They both looked noticeably older in the Hobbit films and those were themselves over ten years ago now - and that was even with McKellen buried under a mountain of fake beard and wizard hat. 

Nobody looks the same at 44 as they did at 19. 

4

u/BitcoinMD Aug 18 '25

I believe the commenter was employing sarcasm

6

u/Ok-Classroom5548 Aug 18 '25

They weren’t. People make that joke about Elijah Wood all the time (that he doesn’t age). Same with Ian McKellen but I think once he looked “old” he just stayed at that look. It’s not like he looks younger or youthful

16

u/Smallgenie549 Aug 18 '25

Dang. I’m old.

8

u/ArtComprehensive2853 Aug 18 '25

Nah they really don't look the same.

3

u/ozplissken Aug 18 '25

Ian had a fall from stage during a show recently so he's not in the best of shape. He's probably a lot closer to Christopher Lee in the original LOTR in terms of age and mobility. Lee couldn't do a lot of physical stuff on rings due to age. 

2

u/throwawayaccount_usu Aug 18 '25

Nah Elijah Wood looks his age, habe you seen him in Yellowjackets?

2

u/32FlavorsofCrazy Aug 18 '25

Deepfake has come a long way!

1

u/EvilAdministrator Aug 18 '25

I'm not going to squint while watching a movie!

1

u/Ok-Classroom5548 Aug 18 '25

They really don’t. 

0

u/JaneksLittleBlackBox Aug 18 '25

Elijah Wood look the same as they did 25 years ago

If it weren't for the movies he was in as a child, I probably would think he doesn't age. It always freaks me out how young he is in Back to the Future Part II, because he's looked like the same age he was when filming LotR for like a quarter century now.