Ian McKellen cast as Falstaff in Shakespeare-inspired film "Player Kings"

Sir Ian McKellen will be starring in a new play that combines parts one and two of Shakespeare's Henry IV. Despite having appeared in numerous Shakespearean plays throughout his career, this will be the first time McKellen takes on the character of John Falstaff. The production, titled Player Kings and directed by Robert Icke, will have runs in Manchester and London next year. McKellen expressed his excitement about the "ingenious adaptation" and said that the offer to be a part of it was irresistible. The play will open in March and perform at the New Wimbledon Theatre and Manchester Opera House before transferring to the West End's Noël Coward Theatre for a 12-week run from April to June. McKellen has had an illustrious career in Shakespearean roles, including Richard II, Coriolanus, Iago, Richard III, King Lear, and Macbeth, where he starred alongside Dame Judi Dench. He will also be playing Hamlet in a new film adaptation directed by Sean Mathias. In addition to his stage work, McKellen toured his one-man show, Acting Shakespeare, for over a decade. Player Kings will consist entirely of Shakespearean dialogue, but parts one and two of Henry IV will be condensed and reorganized into one show. John Falstaff, who appears in three Shakespeare plays and is admired in a fourth, is a companion to Prince Hal— the future King Henry V. Robert Icke, known for his previous production The Doctor, which debuted at the Almeida Theatre in 2019 before moving to the West End and Broadway, will be directing Player Kings. McKellen's screen credits include Magneto in the X-Men films and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, as well as roles in The Da Vinci Code, Mr. Holmes, Beauty and the Beast, and The Good Liar. The publication of Shakespeare's First Folio, which celebrated its 400th anniversary in November, played a crucial role in preserving many of the Bard's most famous plays.