Ian McKellen forced to cancel film premiere appearance after doctors’ warning

Sir Ian McKellen has been forced to withdraw from the international premiere of his latest film The Christophers on the advice of doctors.

The celebrated actor, 86, had been due to attend the Toronto Film Festival for the unveiling of the Steven Soderbergh-directed black comedy but instead recorded a pre-taped message for the event.

As reported by the Daily Mail, McKellen told the outlet his “medical advisers” advised him not to fly, adding “Better safe than sorry”.

The film, which also stars Michaela Coel, James Corden and Jessica Gunning, centres on the estranged children of a once-famous artist who hire a forger to finish his incomplete works so they can be “rediscovered” and sold after his death.

The Christophers was penned by Ed Solomon, Soderbergh’s longtime collaborator whose credits include the 2021 crime thriller No Sudden Move, HBO’s Mosaic and Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Production moved at remarkable speed, with McKellen filming his scenes as recently as February – his first project since suffering a serious fall on stage during a West End performance last summer.

The British actor fell during a production of Player Kings on the West End last June (PA Wire)

In June 2024, the actor was performing in a production of Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre in London when he lost his footing in a fight scene and fell from the stage.

The Lord of the Rings star suffered injuries to his wrist and neck and was forced to withdraw from the remainder of the show’s national tour.

Sir Ian previously opened about his recovery and revealed plans to return to the theatre world while appearing on Simon Mayo’s Greatest Hits Radio Drivetime show.

He said last September: “What I’ve been left with is not so much a physical injury, but a mental disturbance because I thought it was much more serious at the time than it was.

“I think I thought I was about to die, I thought I’d broken my neck I’d forgotten but apparently, I’d said, ‘I’ve broken my neck, I am dying’ and if I said it, I must have thought that I was.

“And I’ve just got to deal with that. I’m not dying, not just yet and I hope I’ll get back to acting again on stage.’

When probed by the broadcaster when he would know if the time was right, Sir Ian replied: “That’s a good point – I think I’ll know because the contract says I have to turn up at a particular time! I’m not proposing to work on stage for another year and I think by then this will all be alright.”