Sir Ian McKellen has withdrawn from his West End play following his fall.
The actor was rushed to hospital earlier this month after falling off stage at the Noël Coward Theatre in London.
The 85-year-old insisted it is with “the greatest reluctance” that he is withdrawing from the national tour of Player Kings to “protect my recovery.”
Sir Ian was performing a fight scene during a stage production of Player Kings when he lost his footing.
He cried out for help after the fall, and was subsequently rushed to hospital – resulting in the play being cancelled.
Following the incident, a theatre spokesman confirmed that Sir Ian is “in good spirits” and will make a “full recovery”.
The spokesperson also thanked two doctors Rachel and Lee who were “on hand in the audience” and staff at the venue for their assistance.
A statement about Sir Ian’s withdrawal said: “Two weeks after my accident onstage, my injuries improve day by day.”
“It’s with the greatest reluctance that I have accepted the medical advice to protect my full recovery by not working in the meantime.”
“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. Go see for yourself!”
A statement from the production continued: “Following Ian McKellen’s injury during the West End run of Player Kings, his doctors’ advice is to take time off from work in order to fully recover.”
“As such, he will not be returning to play Sir John Falstaff in the national tour of Players Kings (3-27 July 2024).”
“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.”
“As it was for the final West End performances, the role of Falstaff will now be performed by David Semark, Ian’s brilliant understudy, for all tour dates of Player Kings.”
Player Kings is a production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts One and Two, and kicked off its 12-week run on the West End in April.
Sir Ian plays John Falstaff in the play, and had been acting out a battle scene involving the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy when he fell off the front of the stage.
The actor is best known for his role as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies.
His acting credits also include the X-Men movies, Beauty and the Beast, The Da Vinci Code and Mr Holmes.
