The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will 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 Gollum will revisit the тιтular character and likely take place sometime before the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Andy Serkis will return to play Gollum, and he’ll direct the movie as well. No further casting updates have been revealed, though previous Lord of the Rings cast members Ian 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’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Middle-earth has not been idle in film and television. Prime Video has now released two seasons of its prequel series The Rings of Power, and last year saw the franchise branch out into animation with the film The War of the Rohirrim.
Looking ahead to the future, there are additional movies in development, and The Rings of Power season 3 is on the way. However, The Hunt for Gollum already stands as the most exciting LOTR project yet, and that’s partially for one reason.
Peter Jackson Wasn’t Part Of Rings Of Power Or War Of The Rohirrim
Instead, New Creatives Took Over Middle-earth
Peter Jackson directed both the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, 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 cinema and 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 of The Rings of Power, and The War of the Rohirrim was directed by Kenji Kamiyama. Jackson wasn’t even a producer on the adaptations.
Though The Rings of Power and The War of the Rohirrim both have their fair share of supporters, they haven’t been as universally acclaimed as the original Lord of the Rings movies. Admittedly, few projects could come close to matching that achievement, but it has given the franchise a more mixed reception overall.
Some fans have disagreed 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 in The 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 Gollum already 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 of The War of the Rohirrim, but did not receive a screenplay credit.
While his Hobbit movies are more divisive than The 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 steer The Hunt for Gollum in the right direction. After all, Jackson decided how Middle-earth was to be depicted and helped 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 has a unique opportunity to inject fresh life into a beloved fantasy world.
Serkis’ return is already reᴀssuring, and the promise of him again collaborating with Jackson only puts The Hunt for Gollum in a better position. This will hopefully ensure the movie can retain the spirit of the original Lord of the Rings films and bring back the magic of the franchise.
