The legendary English actor Sir Ian McKellen has been taken to the hospital, after he reportedly fell off the stage during a recent performance of Player Kings at the Noël Coward theatre in London. BBC initially reported the news on Monday, with the outlet reporting that McKellen was in a fight scene when he lost his footing and fell off of the front of the stage. Following McKellen's accident, the audience of Player Kings was evacuated, with the evening show also cancelled.
McKellen, who turned 85 last month and is known for his onscreen work in The Lord of the Rings and X-Men franchises, has been portraying John Falstaff in the production of Player Kings, a production of Henry IV, Parts One and Two, which started its 12-week West End run in April.
"I really hope that he is going to be alright," an audience member, Sandro Trapani, told BBC. "As far as I saw, he was conscious because he was asking for assistance."
2nd Update: In a statement to Deadline on June 18, McKellen revealed that he's “hugely indebted” to medical staff from the UK’s National Health Service for treating him the accident. The actor said that “doctors have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.”
Deadline previously revealed that McKellen suffered a fractured wrist and other injuries. You can read the full statement from McKellen’s personal publicist Clair Dobbs below:
I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support. Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of course, I am hugely indebted. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work
1st Update: A spokesperson for the London theatre released a statement to the PA news agency (via Bracknell News).
"Thank you to our audience and the general public for their well wishes following Ian’s fall during this evening’s performance of Player Kings,” the spokesperson said. “Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits."
“The production has made the decision to cancel the performance on Tuesday June 18 so Ian can rest. Those affected will be contacted by their point of purchase as soon as possible tomorrow.”
The spokesperson also thanked doctors Lee and Rachel who were “on hand in the audience” and to the venue staff “for their support”.
Is Ian McKellen returning to X-Men?
Magneto is one of Sir Ian McKellen's iconic roles. He played Erik Lehnsherr, AKA Magneto, in the franchise, but has not reprised his role since flashback scenes in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Patrick Stewart, who played Charles Xavier (Professor X) alongside McKellen in the X-Men films, seemingly hinted that a reunion could be in the cards.
During a February 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Stewart revealed that he and his former co-star Ian McKellen have "plans" for the future. "I can't say about what Charles [Xavier]'s future might possibly hold," Stewart said. However, when asked about McKellen's reaction to his return as Professor X in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he added: "Actually, it went very well. He did say something like ['Hey, I would've done this!'], yes, that's true. But we're not done, Sir Ian and myself. We're... we got plans."
Some fans have been speculating that McKellen will make a cameo as Magneto in Deadpool & Wolverine, which is set to release in theaters on July 26, but there has been no official confirmation of his reprisal. At the time of this writing, there are currently no official plans for McKellen to return as Magneto in the MCU.
Is Ian McKellen retiring soon?
In recent years, fans speculated that Sir Ian McKellen will eventually retire, after already having a decades-long career on both screen and stage. In a September 2023 interview with Variety, the legendary actor debunked the possibility, saying that he wants to "carry on" in the industry while he's healthy and still able to perform.
"Retire to do what?" McKellen said back then. "I've never been out of work, but I'm aware that any minute now something could happen to me which could prevent me from ever working again. But while the knees hold up and the memory remains intact, why shouldn't I carry on? I really feel I'm quite good at this acting thing now."
