Los Angeles, Jun 9 (IANS): Veteran Hollywood star Ian McKellen, known for his portrayal of Gandalf in 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies, has spoken about reprising his role of the wizard in the upcoming film 'The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum'.

McKellen talked about reprising his role, created by J.R.R. Tolkien, in the film set to be directed by Andy Serkis and slated for a 2026 release.

He said that he has "heard stirrings in Tolkien land" and that, due to his role in 'Player Kings', he hasn't "shaved in months."

"But there is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan," he said, jokingly responding to The Times of London when asked if he would be interested in reprising his role, "If I’m alive."

Earlier this year, in an interview with Deadline, filmmaker Peter Jackson talked about why focusing on Gollum was interesting, reports deadline.com.

"The Gollum/Smeagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, while his Smeagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic," Jackson said.

"I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike because there’s a little bit of both of them in all of us. We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films."

He added: "It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien."