Ian McKellen reveals Gandalf and Frodo to return in new Lord of the Rings film

The newest installment of the famous fantasy franchise will begin production in May.

With the newest installment of the famous fantasy franchise to begin production in May, Ian McKellen who played Gandalf the Grey in the original trilogy, dropped a huge revelation about the new film.

At a For the Love of Fantasy event in London on Sunday, he commented: "I hear there's going to be another movie based in Middle-earth, and it's going to start filming in May. It's going to be directed by Gollum, and it's all about Gollum."

It was announced last year that the original director of Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, would be producing the new live installment, as well as actor Andy Serkis directing and starring in the new film that is now expected to be released in December 2027.

McKellen gave the audience further insight into the new release.

"I'll tell you two secrets about the casting: There's a character in the movie called Frodo, and there's a character in the movie called Gandalf," he added.

As the crowd gasped at the details, McKellen smiled and joked: "Apart from that, my lips are sealed!"

While it wasn't specifically said whether McKellen and original Frodo Baggins star Elijah Wood would reprise their roles, Wood, who was also present at the fan event, smiled as McKellen spoke alongside fellow alums Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and John Rhys-Davies.

Earlier this summer, Serkis told Collider: "We're very early on in the process. We've been talking about the film over the course of the last year. We’re about to start a period of prep in the next few months or so.

"We will be shooting in the early to mid-part of next year, I guess, and then it'll be as long as it takes to shoot, which — it's a sizable movie — all ready for a December 2027 release," he continued.