Gollum Is Inspired By Joaquin Phoenix’s The Joker In New Lord Of The Rings Movie, Says Peter Jackson

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The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is pulling inspiration from an unlikely source.

Peter Jackson, the producer behind The Lord of the Rings, has revealed that the upcoming The Hunt for Gollum movie draws inspiration from the film Joker. This will be the first live-action movie set in Middle-earth since 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The story will center on Gollum, played by Andy Serkis, and his pursuit by characters like Gandalf (Ian McKellen) before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s scheduled for release in theaters on December 17, 2027.

Peter Jackson recently told IndieWire at the Cannes Film Festival that the psychological aspects of the upcoming film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, were influenced by Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as The Joker. Jackson explained that they’re using a similar approach to delve into Gollum’s mind and show the story from his point of view, making it a more internal and character-driven narrative.

Check out what Jackson had to say below:

We were inspired by the movie ‘Joker,’ starring Joaquin Phoenix, and how it delved into the character’s mind while telling a compelling story. We have material from the appendices of Tolkien’s work that we plan to adapt, but we want to tell it from Gollum’s point of view, really getting into his thoughts. Adapting Tolkien requires understanding his characters deeply, and frankly, I’d rather not try to get inside Gollum’s head – Andy Serkis is much better suited for that!

The movie Joker offers a complex and understanding portrayal of the villain, exploring his motivations and inner world. This approach – showing things from his point of view and blurring the lines between what’s real and what isn’t – could be powerfully applied to Gollum in The Hunt for Gollum. It would allow audiences to see a side of Gollum rarely explored in The Lord of the Rings series, giving a richer and more detailed look into his thoughts and actions.

The 2023 video game The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was the most recent effort to explore Gollum’s point of view, but it was widely criticized and led to the game’s development team being shut down, with the company switching to only publishing games. A film adaptation, though, could potentially succeed by adopting a similar approach to the movie Joker, allowing for a deeper and more accurate portrayal of Gollum’s complex character and inner thoughts.

Alongside other projects like season 3 of Prime Video’s The Rings of Power (premiering November 11, 2026) and a new film written by Stephen Colbert (The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past), The Hunt for Gollum is also currently in the works. However, director Peter Jackson suggests Gollum’s story will stand out, offering a particularly interesting take on the character’s inner world when adapted for the big screen.

Even though The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum isn’t scheduled to come out for another year and a half, it’s already clear this film will be very different from the others. The story will focus heavily on Gollum’s inner life and motivations, much like the movie Joker, aiming to create a compelling and sympathetic portrayal of this tragic character.

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2026-05-19 15:42