Warner Bros. is working on a new Lord of the Rings movie for 2026, and the film can fix the biggest Gandalf injustice from Amazon’s Rings of Power. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum was announced by the studio in May 2024, confirming that Warner Bros. is going full speed ahead with its plan to expand the franchise. An animated LOTR movie dubbed The War of Rohirrim is already hitting theaters in 2024, and The Hunt for Gollum will continue to bring the world and characters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books to the big screen.
Of course, The Hunt for Gollum will differ from The War of Rohirrim in one huge way. While The War of Rohirrim will shed light on locations and events in the LOTR trilogy, it isn’t as connected as The Hunt for Gollum. The new film will see Peter Jackson returning as a producer, and it will bring Andy Serkis back as Gollum. These connections to the original trilogy — along with where the new Lord of the Rings movie falls on the timeline — will appeal to longtime fans. They’ll also be able to fix a Gandalf injustice from The Rings of Power.
Although Gandalf isn’t mentioned by name in The Rings of Power season 1, he seemingly appears in the Prime Video series — but a different actor is playing him. The Rings of Power introduces a man named The Stranger, and he falls from the sky at the beginning of the first season. As Nori Brandyfoot gets to know him, it becomes increasingly obvious that The Stranger is extraordinary. In fact, his ability to use magic and trouble adjusting to Middle-earth suggests he’s one of Tolkien’s Maiar. The Maiar are spirits sent to help Middle-earth, and Gandalf is one of them.
Gandalf is further along on his journey in the Lord of the Rings movies, but The Rings of Power is likely showing his early days in Middle-earth. The Stranger bears an uncanny resemblance to Gandalf, and he even quotes him at the end of The Rings of Power season 1. It’s probable that The Stranger and Gandalf are one and the same, but this means Ian McKellen isn’t the only actor to portray the character. Daniel Weyman takes on the role in the Prime Video series. While he’s good at it, some might consider it an injustice that McKellen isn’t involved.
It’s easy to understand why The Rings of Power would recast Gandalf, as the version of him that appears in the Second Age would look and act much different than the one from The Lord of the Rings. The Prime Video series isn’t directly connected to Jackson’s movies, either, so casting McKellen would complicate that. However, the original Gandalf actor didn’t seem thrilled about the possibility of another star taking over his role. After Screen Rant published a feature dubbed “How Gandalf Can Appear In Amazon’s Lord of the Rings (But Not Ian McKellen),” McKellen shared his thoughts.
“I think this would be the most upsetting headline I’d ever read, if I weren’t gainfully employed elsewhere,” McKellen said. It’s clear the Lord of the Rings star is attached to the role, and it makes sense that he’d have complicated feelings about someone else portraying the wizard. He’s not the only one with doubts about The Rings of Power‘s potential inclusion of Gandalf either. It creates an impossible Lord of the Rings problem for the series: Weyman’s character will be compared to McKellen. The Hunt for Gollum may make this worse, as it could bring McKellen back.
Although The Rings of Power creates a Gandalf injustice by bringing in a new actor, The Hunt for Gollum can fix this problem. The Hunt for Gollum is likely to take place close to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This opens the door for a number of LOTR characters to return in The Hunt for Gollum. Two who are likely to make an appearance are Gandalf and Aragorn, as both are involved in the search for Gollum in Tolkien’s writings. If Gandalf is included in the movie’s story, it can bring back McKellen to tackle the role.
That’s an exciting prospect for the franchise and Lord of the Rings fans, but it could be a killer blow for The Rings of Power. Weyman’s character will definitely be compared to McKellen’s if he returns as Gandalf, and that’s not to mention the struggles the Amazon series is already facing heading into season 2. It’s an interesting time to be a Lord of the Rings fans, and no matter how things play out for either project, McKellen’s return as Gandalf is likely to be a welcome development.