Directed by Andy Serkis, who famously portrayed Gollum through voice and motion capture in Peter Jackson’s adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to be an exciting new venture. Since participating in Jackson’s film trilogies, Serkis has also helmed several major projects, such as Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Co-producing the upcoming film will be Jackson alongside his long-time collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, both of whom contributed to the original LOTR and Hobbit films.
Last year, Boyens characterized The Hunt for Gollum as a standalone feature, indicating it will not be divided into multiple installments. It is described as a “quite intense story” situated between Bilbo’s birthday party and the events of the Mines of Moria in The Fellowship of the Ring.
While the cast for The Hunt for Gollum remains uncertain, it’s worth noting that many original cast members from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring have aged approximately 26 years since the film’s release. Additionally, primary characters from Fellowship—with the potential exception of Aragorn—would likely have other commitments during the timeline of The Hunt for Gollum. However, I’m confident that Jackson, Serkis, and screenwriters Walsh, Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou will find a creative solution.
