Ian McKellen will not be immediately returning to the stage following his fall on Monday, after it was confirmed his understudy will replace him for the rest of the London run of Player Kings. It was hoped McKellen would be able to return to the production, but the 85-year-old actor has not fully recovered from the incident, which led to McKellen needing medical attention and the play being cancelled for several days. His understudy, David Semark, would perform in the play for its final London dates while McKellen recuperated, a post on the Player Kings’ X account said. The veteran screen and stage actor, 85, was performing at the Noël Coward Theatre when he lost his footing in a fight scene and fell off the stage. He was taken to hospital to receive treatment and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday’s performances were cancelled to allow him to rest. The Player Kings said on Thursday: “David Semark will be playing the role of Sir John Falstaff for the final three scheduled performances of Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre in London while Ian McKellen recuperates following his fall on Monday 17 June.” It added: “We look forward to Ian returning to the production, which begins a national tour in Bristol on Wednesday 3 July, before visiting Birmingham, Norwich and Newcastle.” The final London performances are taking place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Semark trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has credits in TV shows including EastEnders, Doctors, Law & Order: UK and The Bill. After McKellen’s fall, the Lord Of the Rings star and Olivier award winner thanked everyone who had sent messages of support. He wrote on X: “I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support. 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. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.” A spokesperson for the London theatre said in a statement after McKellen’s fall: “Following a scan, the brilliant NHS team have assured us that he will make a speedy and full recovery and Ian is in good spirits.” The statement thanked two doctors, Rachel and Lee, who were “on hand in the audience”, and the venue staff “for their support”. A BBC journalist who saw the play said McKellen was in a scene involving the Prince of Wales and Henry Percy when he fell off the front of the stage. The actor was heard to cry out in pain as staff rushed to help. After the accident, audience members were told that the remainder of the evening’s performance had been cancelled and were asked to leave the premises. One audience member, Paul Critchley, a Methodist minister from Downham Market, Norfolk, said it was a “shock” to witness the fall. “The house lights came up very quickly as the stage management and front of house team dealt with the incident. We were evacuated immediately so that Sir Ian could be treated in privacy,” he said. Player Kings, a production of Henry IV parts one and two, adapted and directed by Robert Icke, is due to move to the Bristol Hippodrome in July. McKellen’s career has spanned more than six decades and he is arguably the country’s most recognisable stage actor who has also had huge success on the big screen. He was a reluctant film star at first, however, telling the Guardian in 1985 that when he became a professional actor, he “measured my success in the theatre; films would have been a kind of interruption”. But the actor said he was “more excited now when a film script comes through the letter box than when I’m asked about a play, because cinema is still to me uncharted territory”. On screen he is best known for playing Magneto in the X-Men films and Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s fantasy trilogy based on the Lord of the Rings books by JRR Tolkien. On the stage he has played numerous Shakespearean roles including Richard II, Macbeth, Coriolanus and King Lear. His many acting credits have led to a wealth of accolades over the years, including several Olivier awards.