Ian McKellen drops out of Player Kings national tour following stage fall

Ian McKellen is stepping away from his role as John Falstaff in Player Kings once more, after falling off the stage during a June 17 performance of the play.

On Monday, the producers of the play announced in a statement that the actor's "doctors' advice is to take time off from work in order to fully recover" and therefore that he will not be returning in the role for the upcoming national tour in the U.K. from July 3-27.

"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," the production wrote.

McKellen, 85, previously had to sit out the final three performances of Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre in London after the incident, which, according to the BBC, occurred when the actor was performing during a fight scene, lost his footing, and fell from the front of the stage. That particular show was then canceled and the audience evacuated.

McKellen was taken to the hospital following the incident with unspecified injuries. However, according to a statement from the theater provided to Entertainment Weekly at the time, McKellen was "in good spirits" and expected to make a full recovery.

Player Kings, which is a version of Shakespeare's Henry IV (parts 1 and 2) adapted by Robert Icke, began a planned 12-week London run in April. The actor's understudy, David Semark, stepped in for the star for the final three performances of that run, and will be continuing in the role for the national tour.

Of the news, McKellen said in a statement, also on Monday, "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."

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"I had been so looking forward to bringing Player Kings to theatre-goers in Bristol, Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle," McKellen added. "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."

The venerable actor is no stranger to Shakespeare, having played the likes of Macbeth, King Lear, Richard II, Coriolanus, Iago, and Richard III on stage throughout his career. Prior to his accident, he had received rave reviews so far for his performance in Player Kings, with The Guardian calling his turn "a richly complex portrayal."