Sir Ian McKellen was advised by doctors to skip the premiere of his new movie, The Christophers, at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The 86-year-old appeared in a pre-recorded introduction to the film and didn’t go into specifics, but explained that doctors advised him not to fly out.
“Better safe than sorry,” McKellen said, per Variety, “If you enjoy it, will you tell your friends? That’s partly what festivals are about, isn’t it?”
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, black comedy The Christophers sees McKellen in one of his biggest recent roles alongside Michaela Coel, James Corden and Jessica Gunning, as he plays painter Julian Sklar.
Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen are brilliant in Steven Soderbergh’s droll art forgery drama THE CHRISTOPHERS. The delightful, dense script has a lot on its mind about art and legacy and it suffers from pacing issues, but the perfectly cast leads keep it compelling. #TIFF50 pic.twitter.com/4tOGDMndfA
— Dancin’ Dan in TIFFland (@dancindanonfilm) September 8, 2025
It comes after the Lord Of The Rings legend was hospitalised following a fall on stage while performing his play Player Kings last year. He had chipped vertebrae and sustained a fractured wrist, later telling Saga Magazine that he was afraid to leave the house afterwards.
“My chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist are not yet healed. I avoid going out because I’m nervous someone might bump into me, and I’ve been dealing with agonising pain in my shoulders due to the jolt my body took,” he said, explaining that it was purely an accident.
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Speaking on The One Show that September, he said that while he’d recovered physically, he was still finding it difficult mentally. “I thought as it was happening that it was very serious. And apparently I said, ‘I’ve broken my neck, I’m dying,’” he said (via Metro).
His foot got caught in a chair and, when he tried to get it out, he slid on a newspaper and landed on a theatre-goer in the front row. “I don’t remember exactly what happened. I finally found out who she was, and so I’ve been in contact with her,” he said. “But I hope she’s alright!”
Recently, McKellen – known for playing Gandalf in the Lord Of The Rings franchise – has teased information about the upcoming spin-off. The Hunt For Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis, who reprises his role as the titular character, is slated to come out in 2027. McKellen said in August, via The Independent, “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 is all about Gollum.
“But 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. Apart from that, my lips are sealed!”
Earlier this year, he appeared on stage with the Scissor Sisters at a couple of the group’s first live shows in 13 years. He joined them on stage in London for a performance of his spoken-word monologue from their 2010 track ‘Invisible Light’ in May, before joining them again during their Glastonbury 2025 set a month later, and was visibly moved at the crowd chanting his name.
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