Ian McKellen Pulls Out Of ‘Player Kings’ Tour “With The Greatest Reluctance” After Fall

Dave Benett/Getty Images for The Wolseley Hospitality Group

British acting icon Ian McKellen has pulled out of the Player Kings tour following a June 17 onstage fall that saw him fracture his wrist and sustain other injuries.

The Lord of the Rings star had initially thought he could return to Player Kings once the UK leg of the tour started but the production has just shared a statement on social media announcing he will step down “with the greatest reluctance.”

“Two weeks after my accident onstage, my injures improve day to day,” he wrote. “It is with the greatest reluctance that I have accepted the medical advice to protect my full recovery by not working in the meantime.”

McKellen said he had been “so looking forward” to travelling with the production to Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle.

The production said his place will be taken by understudy David Semark, who had already played the role of John Falstaff in Player Kings‘ final three West End shows at the Noël Coward Theatre. The tour lasts through this month.

A performance of Player Kings was canceled last month after McKellen fell from the stage, hurting his wrist and sustaining other injuries.

McKellen then exclusively told Deadline: “Doctors have assured  me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.”

With a career spanning more than six decades, the 85-year-old McKellen has received a Tony Award, six Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe, five BAFTA Awards, five Emmys and two Oscar nominations. A British cultural icon, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991, and most famously played Gandalf in Lord of the Rings.