The Hunt for Gollum

     I just found out last weekend that another Lord of the Rings film is being made this year. My first impression was not of a particularly glad nature; the story had been completed 23 years ago, and I hold it as one of the greatest movie series ever produced. However, I needed to take a closer look into what this movie was truly going to be about before prematurely labeling it an abomination.

    The movie, titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, follows Aragorn's search for Gollum, which takes place before The Fellowship of the Ring. Not many details about this hunt are given in Tolkien's novels, so in order to make this into a full-length feature there would need to be some considerable measure of imagination involved. This doesn't need to be a bad thing, provided that the directors stay true to the original Lord of the Rings story. Few things are more annoying than changes in character or stories that do not reflect the prior story's characters or plots whatsoever. 

    The film will be produced by Peter Jackson, who directed the original LOTR movies in the early-2000s. Andy Serkis, the man who portrayed Gollum in the LOTR movies, will be directing the movie whilst also playing Gollum again. Elijah Wood will return as Frodo, and Ian McKellen, at 86 years old, will also be returning as Gandalf.

    I would appreciate it if this new movie doesn't contradict anything written in Tolkien's books or in the original movies. The Hobbit films were done poorly in terms of the actual book, and there is even less context to go off of for this film. However, I still believe that they have a chance to pull it off and make a movie that is entertaining and a believable adaptation of what happened in Aragorn's search. If Jackson and Serkis stay true to Tolkien's writing, then even if this movie is a poor one, at least I will be able to sleep at night.

    

    The level of imagination that will be required to make this film is going to be extensive; nonetheless, I should think that Andy Serkis would have enough reference from the LOTR trilogy to make it feel like a real Lord of the Rings movie, even if he has to imagine how Tolkien would have envisioned it. Perhaps his participation in the films 23 years ago will help him to keep things in line with the books.

    

    The trailer doesn't show anything that strikes me as atrocious, though it was released a year ago. It's safe to assume that since Elijah Wood is much older than he was at the filming of The Fellowship of the Ring, plenty of digital effects will be used to make him and other cast members appear younger. I guess they need to do what they must, and I'll accept that. After all, they did need these effects to make Frodo three feet tall in the first place.

    I've heard there is a possibility that actor Leo Woodall (b. 1996) will replace Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in the movie. I don't know much about pop culture, especially currently, but I doubt that anybody can play the part as wonderfully as Mortensen did.

    I don't want to be too hard on the movie yet, as filming has not even begun, though as a Lord of the Rings nerd this certainly strikes me as a surprising production. I would be more in favor of movies based off the Silmarillion, such as Beren and Luthien, which they would have more context for anyway. Nonetheless, I won't knock it until I've tried it.

    Filming for The Hunt for Gollum begins in May of this year, and the movie is on track to be released in January of 2027. Though I am a bit of a purist towards the Lord of the Rings books and very skeptical as to whether or not this movie will be worth my time, I will certainly try to view it in theaters when it is released. I hope to give a review of the movie after I have seen it.

    Until it's released, farewell, and may the blessing of Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you. May the stars shine upon your faces!