The Last Spell of Gandalf: Ian McKellen Ponders His Final Bow in Middle-Earth

The imagination has escaped into the magic arts of Middle-Earth found in the movie franchises The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. In these films, the best of the best – the wizardly tall man, Gandalf is played by Ian McKellen. Now, faced with a Gollum-centred movie project, McKellen might play it as his last, closing a door on a character who has become part of his own history.

Gandalf's Farewell? Ian McKellen and the Gollum Movie

As Gandalf, Ian McKellen has been just as immortal. We’ve seen him wave his wizardly staff through the shire and the mountains of Middle-Earth’s vastness and dark, as well as into the fiery shadows of Mordor. In a piece of news that has simultaneously electrified readers and brought a whimper of sadness, McKellen has been linked to a role in the upcoming Gollum movie — and he’s hinted this could well be his final part in the saga.

A Call for the Grey Wizard: McKellen's Willingness to Return

That McKellen would be ready to throw on the grey cloak yet again if Warner Bros. called was evidence not simply of a commitment to the character, but a devotion to the world of Middle-earth spawned by J R R Tolkien. His words are clear – that he’s game, once more, to take a final journey; to help bring Gandalf back to life one last time. For old times’ sake.

The Tale of Two Characters: Gandalf and THE RING

Looming larger on the horizon is Peter Jackson’s contemplated movie about Gollum, the wretched, Ring-addled creature who ‘was no longer quite himself. He felt that all the beauty had gone from the world.’ A stand-alone movie about Gollum — the late Andy Serkis will reprise his role, assuming there is a digital way to recreate him — will give us a chance to look at the Ring’s power, and the seduction it exerts, in a new light. Maybe Gandalf can be the loving voice guiding Gollum through shadow.

The Significance of McKellen's Farewell to Middle-Earth and THE RING

When McKellen said goodbye to Gandalf, it felt less like an actor leaving a role than like an era, for the fans and for franchises, coming to a close; his departure would mark a story stretching, in its production, through the history of modern cinematic literature.

A Legacy Eternal: Gandalf in the Hearts of Many

And even if McKellen’s last performance of Gandalf is something of a bittersweet prospect, a reminder of his characterisation’s temporary nature, it’s also a moment for us to reflect on its lasting impact. Gandalf, as McKellen has brought him to the screen, lives on as in the world, a bearer of knowledge, courage and goodness, and testimony equally to McKellen’s skill and to Tolkein’s enduring appeal.

What Lies Beyond: The Future of Middle-Earth and THE RING

With talk of a Gollum movie (and what extent, if any, Gandalf may feature in it), fans can only guess what form Middle-Earth will take on screen in the future. Whatever finally happens, though, Gandalf as played by McKellen will always seem like a masterclass in character creation, another milestone in the journey of the cinematic universe.

About the Ring

At the heart of the imagined universe of Middle-Earth, the One Ring, around which the yarn of heroism and villainy is woven, is another eloquent affirmation of the power of storytelling — at once beautiful and dangerous. In all this, it mirrors our own human desires and ambitions. Bringing the broken heart of Gollum to the big screen has the power to enrich the story of Middle-Earth, revealing yet more of why the ring is both beautiful and dangerous, and the lengths to which people can go in the pursuit of obsession and the possibility of redemption. The film will have to wait. Across the world, the ring remains the locus of magic and mystery that is Middle-Earth.

Ian McKellan’s ruminations about his final turn as Gandalf, as well as the looming prospect of the Gollum movie, continually remind us of the timelessness of storytelling and the eternal ties that it forges. Middle-Earth’s characters, whether they be heroes and villains or otherwise, still linger in the minds of millions of people, and the ring continues to dangle – proving that the end to an era can often just be the beginning.