25 March
(edited)
2026-3-25 12:27:16 PM UTC
Edited by SamwiseTheBrave on 2026-3-25 12:32:14 PM UTC
2026-3-25 12:27:16 PM UTC
I had similar thoughts. I am curious to see how they structure it. Hopefully it will be better done than what I am imagining.OldNoakes wrote:
A strong contender for "just because one can, doesn't mean one should". I'm not quite sure the artistic nor commercial benefit of salami-slicing the book to satisfy ones own desire to see something. With the Hunt for Gollum and now this, I fear the book will be mined until its exhaustion or collapse.
While I also initially agree, Colbert is probably the most famous 'superfan', and not only has a near unassailable knowledge of the lore, but also a reverence for it. If there is anyone at that level who can shepherd a project like this, I think it is him.
For me, it really depends on the direction they take. Colbert made it sound like they might be inserting another film to cover chapters 3–8 of Fellowship of the Ring, which I’m not entirely sold on. Having a deep reverence for the books doesn’t necessarily translate into the ability to craft a film that fits seamlessly into an existing trilogy. I worry it could struggle to integrate with the 2001 film and end up feeling disjointed in context.
That said, if the film focuses on the period after Frodo leaves the Shire, then Colbert’s knowledge and passion could actually be quite helpful. In that case, I’d be much more optimistic as it could expand the world in a way that feels natural and respectful.
We probably just need to wait for more information to come out. It might end up being a blend of both approaches. If they can strike the right balance, I think it will work quite well.
That said, if the film focuses on the period after Frodo leaves the Shire, then Colbert’s knowledge and passion could actually be quite helpful. In that case, I’d be much more optimistic as it could expand the world in a way that feels natural and respectful.
We probably just need to wait for more information to come out. It might end up being a blend of both approaches. If they can strike the right balance, I think it will work quite well.
You are correct - writing a script doesn't mean producing a film and more information does need to come out. However, if there isn't a Bill Ferny Extended Universe being plotted then we may aswell pack up now...
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ Sets Cast: Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood Officially Return, Plus Jamie Dornan as Aragorn and More
https://variety.com/2026/film/news/lor ... ornan-aragorn-1236625399/
From today’s Den of Geek newsletter interview with Andy Serkis
“Andy Serkis Determined to Bring Back Classic LOTR Magic in New Gollum Movie (Exclusive)
It’s become cliché in modern pop culture discourse to lament they couldn’t make The Lord of the Rings today like they did at the turn of the century. When Peter Jackson came down from the proverbial Mountains of Moria, he and an army of craftspeople brought with them a set of movies that combined a century’s worth of classical filmmaking techniques with what now looks like the early pioneer days of digital effects.
But the most intrepid of these CG-explorers, Andy Serkis, does not agree with the sentiment that those days can never come again. And when I caught up with him on New York’s Upper East Side for a lunch of grilled octopus and brussel sprouts, he was adamant that Middle-earth’s halcyon era is about to return as he gears up to take on the director’s chair in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
"I absolutely think you can make them like that because we are doing it,” Serkis says. “All the same people who worked on the original movies have come back to the set department; the set designers; we’re using miniatures; we’re employing some of the older techniques and bringing some of the new techniques to bear as well. So we will be walking the tightrope of creating a world that people are familiar with, but also it’s an entirely new story.”
The placement of that story is indeed one of the most intriguing things about Gollum. Originally expected by fans to take place in the hazy gap in Fellowship of the Ring between Ian McKellen’s Gandalf the Grey discovering the Baggins’ curious ring and his return with foreboding news of its power—which on the page actually spans 17 years!—reports have since suggested The Hunt for Gollum is a full-fledged prequel set entirely before the events of the original trilogy. This is a development which Serkis seems to confirm.
“I’m very excited, and not just it being a nostalgia trip. There’s actually a lot to explore with the character of Gollum,” Serkis continues. “We are using more prosthetics for the orcs, for instance and shooting all on location. This film sits between the world of the Hobbit trilogy and the original trilogy, so within the law and canon, it sits perfectly in there, but technically, visually, and stylistically, it wants to merge those two [trilogies].”
“Andy Serkis Determined to Bring Back Classic LOTR Magic in New Gollum Movie (Exclusive)
It’s become cliché in modern pop culture discourse to lament they couldn’t make The Lord of the Rings today like they did at the turn of the century. When Peter Jackson came down from the proverbial Mountains of Moria, he and an army of craftspeople brought with them a set of movies that combined a century’s worth of classical filmmaking techniques with what now looks like the early pioneer days of digital effects.
But the most intrepid of these CG-explorers, Andy Serkis, does not agree with the sentiment that those days can never come again. And when I caught up with him on New York’s Upper East Side for a lunch of grilled octopus and brussel sprouts, he was adamant that Middle-earth’s halcyon era is about to return as he gears up to take on the director’s chair in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
"I absolutely think you can make them like that because we are doing it,” Serkis says. “All the same people who worked on the original movies have come back to the set department; the set designers; we’re using miniatures; we’re employing some of the older techniques and bringing some of the new techniques to bear as well. So we will be walking the tightrope of creating a world that people are familiar with, but also it’s an entirely new story.”
The placement of that story is indeed one of the most intriguing things about Gollum. Originally expected by fans to take place in the hazy gap in Fellowship of the Ring between Ian McKellen’s Gandalf the Grey discovering the Baggins’ curious ring and his return with foreboding news of its power—which on the page actually spans 17 years!—reports have since suggested The Hunt for Gollum is a full-fledged prequel set entirely before the events of the original trilogy. This is a development which Serkis seems to confirm.
“I’m very excited, and not just it being a nostalgia trip. There’s actually a lot to explore with the character of Gollum,” Serkis continues. “We are using more prosthetics for the orcs, for instance and shooting all on location. This film sits between the world of the Hobbit trilogy and the original trilogy, so within the law and canon, it sits perfectly in there, but technically, visually, and stylistically, it wants to merge those two [trilogies].”
From today’s Den of Geek newsletter interview with Andy Serkis
“Andy Serkis Determined to Bring Back Classic LOTR Magic in New Gollum Movie (Exclusive)
It’s become cliché in modern pop culture discourse to lament they couldn’t make The Lord of the Rings today like they did at the turn of the century. When Peter Jackson came down from the proverbial Mountains of Moria, he and an army of craftspeople brought with them a set of movies that combined a century’s worth of classical filmmaking techniques with what now looks like the early pioneer days of digital effects.
But the most intrepid of these CG-explorers, Andy Serkis, does not agree with the sentiment that those days can never come again. And when I caught up with him on New York’s Upper East Side for a lunch of grilled octopus and brussel sprouts, he was adamant that Middle-earth’s halcyon era is about to return as he gears up to take on the director’s chair in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
"I absolutely think you can make them like that because we are doing it,” Serkis says. “All the same people who worked on the original movies have come back to the set department; the set designers; we’re using miniatures; we’re employing some of the older techniques and bringing some of the new techniques to bear as well. So we will be walking the tightrope of creating a world that people are familiar with, but also it’s an entirely new story.”
The placement of that story is indeed one of the most intriguing things about Gollum. Originally expected by fans to take place in the hazy gap in Fellowship of the Ring between Ian McKellen’s Gandalf the Grey discovering the Baggins’ curious ring and his return with foreboding news of its power—which on the page actually spans 17 years!—reports have since suggested The Hunt for Gollum is a full-fledged prequel set entirely before the events of the original trilogy. This is a development which Serkis seems to confirm.
“I’m very excited, and not just it being a nostalgia trip. There’s actually a lot to explore with the character of Gollum,” Serkis continues. “We are using more prosthetics for the orcs, for instance and shooting all on location. This film sits between the world of the Hobbit trilogy and the original trilogy, so within the law and canon, it sits perfectly in there, but technically, visually, and stylistically, it wants to merge those two [trilogies].”
I am increasingly unconvinced. I do not like the scavenging of franchises Hollywood is doing these days. I mean it used to be that there was a common sense of "not too much" and "try to make it different/ its own thing". I always hold up the Star Trek Renaissance of the 1990s, where between 1987 and 2005 they made no less than 4 live action series with 624 episodes and 4 films. No one today looks at that incredible run and asks what lessons should be learned here. Meanwhile Star Wars seems all but exhausted only 10 years after The Force Awakens and it seems nothing since the Lord of the Rings trilogy truly stuck for the film franchise: The Hobbit was commercially successful, but isn't regarded very highly, Rings of Power apparently is losing viewership hard and War of the Rohirrim wasn't even noticed. I wish them the best of luck and us that these films will be really good and in the spirit of Tolkien, but I have grown not cynical but weary of such endeavors.
1