Uh oh: Ian McKellen says new Lord of the Rings spinoff movie is “two films”

Uh oh: Ian McKellen says new Lord of the Rings spinoff movie is "two films"

As a die-hard fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, my heart skips a beat every time there’s news about a new Middle-earth adventure. However, I must confess that the idea of stretching a story as thin as The Hunt for Gollum into two movies leaves me a bit uneasy. Remembering the lengthy, sometimes laborious journey of The Hobbit trilogy, I can’t help but worry about repetition.

In the early 2000s, Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy of “Lord of the Rings” was a massive hit. Later, Warner Bros. attempted to repeat their success by hiring Jackson to adapt “The Hobbit,” another well-loved Tolkien book set in Middle-earth. Although these films earned significant revenue, they didn’t receive favorable reviews from fans primarily because the narrative was stretched across three movies. This structure worked for “Lord of the Rings,” as it was a trilogy to start with, but “The Hobbit” is a shorter, standalone story, and did not fit seamlessly on such a vast canvas.

More than a decade later, Warner Bros. Discovery is delving back into the storyline with a new film titled “The Hunt for Gollum“. This upcoming movie will be helmed by Andy Serkis, who famously portrayed the ring-obsessed creature in both of Peter Jackson’s trilogies. “The Hunt for Gollum ” focuses on a side plot that unfolds concurrently with an initial phase of “The Fellowship of the Ring“, where Gandalf the wizard and Aragorn the ranger pursue Gollum to learn about Sauron’s impending return, as he seeks his One Ring.

This tale appears quite slim compared to “The Hobbit,” as it lacks substantial source material. Despite this, it could turn out well, but the team, including Andy Serkis, needs to tread carefully. My apprehension grows when Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the earlier trilogies and wishes to reprise his role, mentions that “The Hunt for Gollum” is intended to be expanded into two films.

During his appearance on the talk show, “This Morning”, Sir Ian McKellen expressed his dislike towards the concept of anyone else taking on the role of Gandalf. He mentioned that there are supposedly two more movies in the works, but he cautioned against him revealing this information.

Orlando Bloom in talks to return as Legolas in The Hunt for Gollum

Ian McKellen has clarified that he hasn’t received a script yet, nor has he made a decision about re-entering the world of “The Lord of the Rings,” although it’s likely he would be informed about such developments. This leaves me uneasy because I wasn’t fond of how the “The Hobbit” films elongated the story unnecessarily, and I wouldn’t want the studio to make the same error again. However, things are still in the early stages for “The Hunt for Gollum,” so there’s ample time to adjust course. Therefore, we wait and observe.

Viggo Mortensen, famously known for his role as Aragorn in the original trilogy, is open to reprising his character for “The Hunt for Gollum,” although nothing has been officially confirmed yet. Meanwhile, another Lord of the Rings veteran, Orlando Bloom who portrayed Legolas, is considering a return to Middle-earth. When asked about this by Variety, he enthusiastically replied, “Wow, those things are incredible! I’m not sure how they would pull it off, but with today’s technology, anything seems possible. If Peter [Jackson] asks me to jump, I’d respond, ‘how high?’ He was the one who kickstarted my acting career.

I really don’t know what [they are planning]. I did speak to Andy [Serkis] and he did say they were thinking about how to do things. I was like, ‘How would that even work?’ And he was like, ‘Well, AI!’ and I was like, ‘Oh, OK!’ It was a pretty magical time in my life, and it’s one of those things where there’s not a downside to it.

It seems that he is suggesting they might employ AI technology to give the 47-year-old Bloom a younger appearance, making him resemble how he looked in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, keep in mind that this is still very preliminary.

The Hunt for Gollum, whatever it ends up being, is due out in theaters sometime in 2026.

2024-09-10 18:41