The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumwill fix a major Middle-earth adaptation mistake, and it’s a good sign for the project as a whole. Currently slated for release in December 2027,The Hunt for Gollumwill revisitthe titular character and likely take place sometime before the originalLord of the Ringstrilogy.
Andy Serkis will return to play Gollum, and he’ll direct the movie as well. No further casting updates have been revealed, thoughpreviousLord of the Ringscast membersIan McKellen and Orlando Bloom have commented on the possibility of reprising their roles.
Though this will be the first live-action movie within the franchise since 2013’sThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,Middle-earth has not been idlein film and television. Prime Video has now released two seasons of its prequel seriesThe Rings of Power, and last year saw the franchise branch out into animation with the filmThe War of the Rohirrim.
Looking ahead to the future, there are additional movies in development, andThe Rings of Powerseason 3is on the way. However,The Hunt for Gollumalready stands as the most excitingLOTRproject yet, and that’s partially for one reason.
Peter Jackson Wasn’t Part Of Rings Of Power Or War Of The Rohirrim
Peter Jackson directed boththeLord of the RingsandHobbittrilogies, thus cementing himself as, essentially, Middle-earth’s most important creative for many years.His work on the original films stands as a towering achievement in cinemaand set the standard for how J.R.R. Tolkien’s world appears onscreen.
Despite this, he had no hand in the most recent Middle-earth projects. J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are the showrunners ofThe Rings of Power, andThe War of the Rohirrimwas directed by Kenji Kamiyama.Jackson wasn’t even a produceron the adaptations.
ThoughThe Rings of PowerandThe War of the Rohirrimboth have their fair share of supporters,they haven’t been as universally acclaimed as the originalLord of the Ringsmovies. Admittedly, few projects could come close to matching that achievement, but it has given the franchise a more mixed reception overall.
Some fans havedisagreed with how the two projects approach Tolkien’s canon, whether that be through the depiction of various Middle-earth races - such as erasing female dwarves' beards inThe Rings of Power- or broader storytelling decisions. What once felt like a special fantasy world has somewhat lost its luster.
Peter Jackson’s Involvement In The Hunt For Gollum Is Great For Lord Of The Rings
His Past Work With Serkis Sets Up The Hunt For Gollum For Success
Luckily,The Hunt for Gollumalready has a major advantage, and it all comes down to Jackson. Though he won’t be in the director’s chair,he will be back on board as a producer. Additionally, Fran Walsh and Philipa Boyens are among the co-writers, returning to the franchise following their work on the previous trilogies.
Boyens contributed to the story ofThe War of the Rohirrim, but did not receive a screenplay credit.
WhilehisHobbitmovies are more divisivethanThe Lord of the Rings, the franchise wouldn’t be as well-regarded without Jackson, and it’s a relief to know he’ll be back to help steerThe Hunt for Gollumin the right direction. After all, Jackson decided how Middle-earth was to be depicted andhelped Serkis develop his performance as Gollum.
More than anything else, this will bring the new movie more in line with the original trilogy, something that simply hasn’t been possible for the other projects. From its production design to its cast, the 2027 film hasa unique opportunity to inject fresh life into a beloved fantasy world.
Serkis' return is already reassuring, and the promise of him again collaborating with Jackson only putsThe Hunt for Gollumin a better position. This will hopefully ensure the movie can retain the spirit of the originalLord of the Ringsfilms and bring back the magic of the franchise.
