It’s been 23 years since Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring hit the theatres. There has been no turning back for the franchise ever since. Based on JRR Tolkien’s books of the same name, the OG trilogy won fans over with not only the representation of Middle Earth, but also the characters with whom the people could resonate. Over two decades after the release of the first film, Jackson returns, taking fans back to the Middle Earth to explore the character arc of Gollum.
Peter Jackson returns with Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
Fans are all set to be taken on a journey to Middle Earth all over again, with the upcoming release of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
Peter Jackson says ‘THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM’ movie will explore Gollum’s backstory & “delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films”
Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens (The ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy) will write the script.
(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/QJMtdwpc3C
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 15, 2024
The spin-off will explore the intricacies of a character who has been a part of Middle Earth for centuries. But this won’t be the first time someone will take a spin at Gollum’s character.
A few years after the conclusion of the LOTR trilogy with the release of the Return of the King, some fans came out with a fan-made film that also delved into the character of Gollum. The fan-made film, which had garnered over 20 million views till 2020, was based on the appendices of Tolkien’s lore.
What prompted Peter Jackson to focus on Gollum
One might believe that the film would have motivated Jackson & Co. to give Gollum’s character more time on the screen. That would be far from the reality though. The film, which will be directed by Andy Serkis, and produced by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, chose to focus on Gollum’s character because of another reason altogether.
Speaking to Deadline in an interview shortly after the announcement was made, Peter Jackson revealed what prompted them to focus on Gollum was how human his character was – full of flaws, yet possessing an innate speck of integrity and devotion.
Peter Jackson believes that there is a ‘little bit of Gollum in all of us’
Sharing his fascination with Gollum’s character, the filmmaker hailing from New Zealand, said,
“The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic. I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike, because there’s a little bit of both of them in all of us.
Discussing what the movie will focus on, he continued,
“We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films. It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.”
With the heart of the series returning to be a part of the upcoming flick, it is only normal that fans will expect good things to come their way.
