Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen said he is planning to “take the rest of the year off” from acting after he fell from a stage.

The two-time Oscar nominee, 85, lost his footing during a fight scene as part of the play Player Kings in June at the Noel Coward Theatre.

Since the fall, McKellen, from Burnley, has been suffering from wrist and neck injuries.

He told the Big Issue that he has been “left feeling weak physically” from the fall and is doing exercise to treat the issue.

Sir Ian added: “Of course, it’s emotional. We all trip all our lives, it’s just when you get to my age you can’t always get up again.”

You can read the full interview with Sir Ian in this week’s Big Issue which is out now.

Sir Ian McKellen concerned stage fall is a sign of getting old

The Burnley-born actor suggested he is concerned that the fall, which left him with injuries including a chipped vertebrae and fractured wrist, could have been the result of him getting old.

“I’m just trying to convince myself it was an accident,” he added.

“I’m usually working or preparing to work, I’ve been doing a little bit of that, wondering what might be the best plan. I’m going to take the rest of the year off. Not because I need to, just because I want to.”

Sir Ian played John Falstaff in the play, a production adapted by Robert Icke from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, parts one and two.

He previously said a fat suit worn for the production is believed to have saved his “ribs and other joints”.

It has already been reported a new swathe of The Lord Of The Rings films is in the works with Andy Serkis directing and starring in the first instalment called The Hunt for Gollum as the corrupted character of the same name as the title, also known as Smeagol.

McKellen seemed to point to him returning as the wizard Gandalf, the character he played in the first three films and The Hobbit trilogy, all directed by New Zealand film-maker Peter Jackson.

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“Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating,” he said. “I may even be going back to play Gandalf again.”

He added: “I can’t tell you any more than that. I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved, and they hope that I’ll be playing him.

“When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So, they better be quick.”

Sir Ian also spoke about how the US presidential election has been progressing as Vice President Kamala Harris takes on former president Donald Trump.