The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the defining film series of its era, which set an incredibly high bar for the Hobbit trilogy to clear. While the Hobbit movies were successful at the box office, they earned a much more mixed reception critically. Over a decade after moviegoers seemingly bid adieu to Middle-earth in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the franchise is once again looking to reclaim its former glory. This time, the interquel The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is hoping to make a splash, and based on the latest update from Elijah Wood, fans should be encouraged that it will.
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During an appearance at this year’s DesertCon (via JoBlo), Wood discussed The Hunt for Gollum. “I know a great deal about it. I’ve read it. It’s really good,” he said. “There’s some wonderful people involved. The thing that is so exciting is, it’s really getting the creative band back together … the kind of creative brain trust behind Lord of the Rings: Fran [Walsh], Peter [Jackson], Philippa [Boyens], they’re heavily involved. And then, the same production designers. It’s going to be shot in New Zealand. So, it’s going to carry with it such continuity with so many of the people who are a part of Lord of the Rings, and I’m really excited about that. It feels like getting that old machine up and running again with all of the right people. So I’m really excited. There’s gonna be some fun bits that I think people are gonna be stoked about.”
The Hunt for Gollum Is Honoring the Lord of the Rings Legacy
As The Hunt for Gollum progresses through development, it seems to be a point of emphasis to underscore its shared DNA with the critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy. Director and star Andy Serkis has previously highlighted the fact that production will take place in New Zealand and several members of the old creative team are returning. Considering the film’s place in the franchise timeline, those strong connections are important, as they will ensure The Hunt for Gollum will seamlessly fit alongside the previous films. The spinoff could potentially introduce some narrative retcons to the series due to certain returning characters, but there should be consistency with regard to the style and tone.
After the Hobbit trilogy underwhelmed critically, there’s arguably more pressure on The Hunt for Gollum to deliver. The filmmakers are interested in pursuing other spinoffs down the line, and Boyens has teased there are multiple ideas on the table. Whether or not any of those movies get made will depend heavily on the response to The Hunt for Gollum. If Serkis’ film earns positive reviews and proves to be a box office hit, it will open the door for other opportunities, allowing the creative team to further flesh out the big-screen Middle-earth. Perhaps the easiest way to accomplish that goal is to do whatever’s possible to emulate the Lord of the Rings trilogy, seeing how that was a massive success.
It’s true that Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens were also heavily involved with the Hobbit movies, but that was a drastically different situation. Originally, Guillermo del Toro was going to direct two Hobbit movies, but then things changed during development and Jackson ended up helming a trilogy (and the third film was a late addition to the process). Things seemed somewhat turbulent behind the scenes on The Hobbit, and that doesn’t appear to be the case on The Hunt for Gollum. The film’s release date was pushed back to allow more time to iron out the script, indicating the creative team is taking the necessary amount of time to plan everything out and ensure they have a great story in place before rolling cameras.
Serkis doesn’t have the greatest track record as a director (the likes of Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle have rotten critics scores on Rotten Tomatoes), but there’s still reason to be optimistic about his latest adventure to Middle-earth. Everyone involved with The Hunt for Gollum is passionate about the material, as they have a long and storied history with the Lord of the Rings franchise. They understand more than most the magnitude of this project and why it’s important to get right. The band likely wouldn’t be getting back together unless the creative team was confident that this was a story worth telling. Spinoffs can be tricky propositions, but there are plenty examples of ones that added depth to their predecessors. Hopefully, The Hunt for Gollum will follow suit.
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