Actor Ian McKellen, 85, will not return to role after stage fall

British actor Ian McKellen, 85, will not return to the job of John Falstaff in a tour immediately after he fell off a London phase mid-effectiveness previous month, the play’s producers said on Monday.

McKellen was starring in “Player Kings,” a creation of William Shakespeare’s “Henry IV, Sections A person and Two,” in the capital’s West Conclusion theatre district, on June 17 when he missing his footing and fell off the front of the stage throughout a fight scene.

The actor, who is ideal regarded for playing Gandalf in the movie versions of “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” and was also Magneto in the “X-Men” motion pictures, was taken to medical center.

“Two months immediately after my incident onstage, my accidents make improvements to day by working day,” he said in a assertion.

“It’s with the finest reluctance that I have acknowledged the clinical suggestions to protect my comprehensive recovery by not performing in the meantime.”

David Semark, McKellen’s understudy who concluded the operate in London, will play the function in Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle, producers reported.

McKellen’s phase job stretches back to 1961, where by his credits incorporate playing Richard III, King Lear and Macbeth.