Ian McKellen won't return to 'Player Kings' after onstage fall

Ian McKellen is reluctantly stepping away from his role in "Player Kings" following an onstage fall last month.

"Two weeks after my accident onstage, my injuries improve day by day," McKellen, 85, said in a statement Monday shared on the "Player Kings" X account. "It's with the greatest reluctance that I have accepted the medical advice to protect my full recovery by not working in the meantime."

He added: "I had been so looking forward to bringing Player Kings to theatre-goers in Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle. But I can assure them that, with David Semark now playing Falstaff, Robert Icke's production and his acting company remain as dazzling as ever."

McKellen, who was cast as Sir John Falstaff in the adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Henry VI," was hospitalized briefly on June 17 after falling during his performance in London's West End, according to The Washington Post and Associated Press. Producers canceled the June 18 show to allow the actor to rest, the theater told USA TODAY in a statement at the time.

The play will continue to tour throughout England.

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"Ian continues to recuperate very well, but he needs the time to rest and ensure a complete recovery. We continue to send him our best wishes," producers of "Player Kings" added in the statement shared Monday.

Following his hospitalization, McKellen thanked fans "for their kind messages and support" in a post on X.

"Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of course, I am hugely indebted," he added. "They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work."

McKellen is known for iconic roles such as the wizard Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies and mutant Magneto in the "X-Men" films. He has also starred in over a dozen Shakespearean projects onstage and film, including "Hamlet," "Romeo & Juliet" and "King Lear."