Earlier this year, Ian McKellen excited “Lord of the Rings” fans by hinting that the upcoming movie, “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” might actually be split into two parts.
However, Philippa Boyens, the screenwriter who worked on both “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies with Peter Jackson, clarified in an interview with Empire magazine that “The Hunt for Gollum” is only one movie.
But she mentioned that we might see more live-action “Lord of the Rings” movies in the future.
Advertisement I can tell you definitively it isn’t two films! That was a genuine misunderstanding that happened because we’ve begun to work, conceptually, on two different live-action films. The first being ‘The Hunt For Gollum,’ the second one still to be confirmed.
Boyens said
Boyens works on “The Hunt for Gollum” along with her longtime “Lord of the Rings” teammates Fran Walsh, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou.
She called the new movie “quite an intense story” that falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines of Moria. It’s a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature.
Andy Serkis, who played Gollum using motion capture in the original “Lord of the Rings” movies, is directing “The Hunt for Gollum.”
Some of the original cast, like Ian McKellen (who played Gandalf), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), have said they would love to come back if their characters fit in the story.
According to Boyens, if there are more “Lord of the Rings” movies after “The Hunt for Gollum,” Gandalf will most likely be part of them.
We’re playing around with a number of ideas, but most of those ideas do include Gandalf. So Gandalf would potentially return for two live-action films.
Boyens said about the future
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” was announced in May, and Peter Jackson is producing it with Boyens and Walsh.
Read More: ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Reaches 55 Million Viewers in One Month, Amazon Says
Warner Bros. and New Line are making the movie and planning to release it in theaters in 2026.
Source: Empire magazine