It was back in May when Warner Bros. announced plans for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, a new movie set near the beginning of the original trilogy which will star and be directed by Andy Serkis (Venom: Let There Be Carnage).
Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, who wrote the previous movies, are penning the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). Filmmaker Peter Jackson, meanwhile, is producing the project and it appears the idea is for this to kick off a new slate of big screen Middle-earth outings.
The hope among fans is that at least a few familiar faces will join Serkis in the prequel, and it appears Sir Ian McKellen will indeed be among them.
Talking to UK publication Big Issue (via SFFGazette.com), the legendary Gandalf the Grey actor said, "Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating. I can’t tell you any more than that. I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him."
This is quite a contrast to what McKellen said in July when he said he'd heard "stirrings in Tolkien land," adding, "I haven't shaved in months...But there is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan." As for whether he'd be up for returning, he joked, "If I'm alive."
Now, it sounds like plans for the iconic Wizard may stretch beyond just The Hunt for Gollum, suggesting the idea is to bring back as many of the original cast members as possible for prequels, sequels, and everything in between...assuming this first attempt is a hit, of course.
Kicking things off with Gollum feels like as good an option as any, especially as he remains one of the franchise's most popular characters. Adding Gandalf and other familiar faces into the mix is also wise and McKellen factoring into this story is an absolute must.
"Gollum has always stuck with me throughout all of these years," Serkis said of the movie when it was announced in May. "I’ve read audio books of the trilogy and the Silmarillion and The Hobbit, so Tolkien’s world has never left me in all of that time since we did the first films. And the character particularly has remained such an enormous part of my life."
"So it’s absolutely thrilling to be able to go back and do a deep dive into his world again, and specifically into Gollum's psychology," he enthused. "I know we’re all interested in investigating on a deeper level who that character is, and on top of that, to be able to direct and hopefully create a film which has its place within the canon, but also something that’s fresh and new and a different approach."
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released in theaters in 2026.