Will the next cinematic installment in Tolkien's fantasy series be called “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Wizard”?

That could very well be the case, if the filmmakers can summon Ian McKellen back as Gandalf. McKellen, who played the beloved grizzled pilgrim in the first three films and the subsequent "Hobbit" movies, has revealed that magic is already working behind the scenes to bring him back.

"I've just heard that there are more films coming and that Gandalf is going to be involved and they're hoping I'll play him," McKellen told Britain's Big Issue magazine. "When? I don't know. What's the script? It's not written yet. So they've got to be quick!"

McKellen, who is 85, recently suffered serious injuries, including a broken vertebra, after falling during a stage performance of Shakespeare's "Henry IV: Parts 1 and 2" in the United Kingdom. The accident earlier this summer at London's Noël Coward Theatre forced the actor to cut short his role as the madcap royal companion Falstaff. Only the thick suit he was wearing saved him from more serious injuries when he tripped onstage and fell into the audience.