LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM - Andy Serkis & Crew - 2026

[AndyDursin]

Hitting the well again hard -- now it's Andy Serkis' turn.

https://deadline.com/2024/05/first-film ... 235909812/

PREVIOUSLY: Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said this morning that the first of two new films based the Lord Of The Rings will be releases in 2026. The team is in early stages of script development on the project, he said during a post-earnings call.

Zaslav revealed last year that Warner. Bros. Pictures, led by Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, will be revisiting the Lord of the Rings with new films based on the beloved books by J.R.R. Tolkien that became a highly lucrative cinematic franchise helmed by Peter Jackson. He will be back producing, with longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. It’s repped a major piece of business for the studio with Jackson’s previous six LOTR films grossing about $6 billion worldwide — roughly $3 billion for each trilogy.

Zaslav didn’t reveal any plot points, saying the first film will focus on “storylines yet to be told.”

Warner Bros. Pictures has had a nice run this year but Zaslav says it can do more and better in the wake of “heavy lifting” by Abdy and Deluca — and James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC. Their efforts are not yet reflected in the studio numbers, he said, as the company continues to work through “the remainder of the slate that was in place when we took over the business.”

He said storytelling is the heart of the company “as we strive to return the luster to Warner Bros. Pictures.”

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2000); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002); and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) were the first three films. They were followed by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, released, respectively, in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

[Paul MacLean]

Zaslav didn’t reveal any plot points, saying the first film will focus on “storylines yet to be told.”

Haven't they learned anything from Amazon's attempt at this?

And The Hunt for Gollum? I don't understand. This is no "hunt for Gollum" in any of the books -- other than a cursory reference to Gollum's torture by Sauron's minions for information about the ring (but that's it).

In the the future, I guess everything is going to be a remake, spinoff or an MCU movie. Oh wait, we're already there!

[Monterey Jack]

[AndyDursin]

I think their "learned lesson" is only Peter Jackson's people ought to be making these "sequels" or "prequels" or whatever they are.

It is incredibly ironic that Jackson -- who people were going nutty over his LOTR films and saying he was the next big thing in cinema -- has basically done nothing since* except make 2 movies (one of which was the overblown KING KONG) before retreating back for what was a pretty lame HOBBIT trilogy, and now another "side series" of "inspired by the material" invented junk. Is this going to follow Gollum as he tries to find some place to relieve himself? I can't wait!

At least he, Serkis, and the "Weta crew" will get their checks.

*Oh sorry, he's also remastering old Beatles documentaries. My bad!

[mkaroly]

No interest whatsoever.

In retrospect, I still feel Jackson's LOTR films were really good (and I love Howard Shore's scores for them). THE HOBBIT was unnecessary (especially as three films). If anything THE HOBBIT may have been much better as two films at the most...but it certainly doesn't have the charm or the impact that LOTR had for me by any stretch.

KING KONG was okay...I thought he did a good job with Kong as a character but most of the movie was boring. I liked James Newton Howard's "love theme" in the film.

[Paul MacLean]

No interest whatsoever.

In retrospect, I still feel Jackson's LOTR films were really good (and I love Howard Shore's scores for them).

Despite some admittedly strong moments, I found them schlocky -- in tone and style they felt like The Sword and the Sorcerer to me. I also thought they were ostentatious and top-heavy, and their narrative pacing was very uneven.

I find it unfortunate that public (and studio executive) perception has fused the "Jackson style" with Tolkien's world. I feel LOTR itself is in need of a remake -- one which is divorced from Jackson's "Hammer movie / Star Wars" interpretation of the material.