Ian McKellen’s update raises concerns as Lord of the Rings fans fear The Hunt for Gollum might repeat The Hobbit’s disappointing path.

ian mckellen, the hunt for gollum

In the midst of several historical epics, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings still remains a classic. The movie series brought to life by the genius Peter Jackson created a magical universe of its own and did complete justice to the British author’s source material. However, it seemed as if the franchise was constantly being stretched for other material gains.

Gandalf the White in The Lord of the Rings || Credits: New Line Cinema

For instance, after the LOTR movies, Jackson brought The Hobbit trilogy, which, in the audience’s eyes, felt subpar. Now, after almost 10 years since The Hobbit, Jackson is stepping back into the franchise with The Hunt for Gollum, which in itself serves as a big worry for the LOTR fanbase.

Fans Share Their Opinions on Ian McKellen’s Recent Update on The Hunt for Gollum

The Lord of the Rings fans have a moment to rejoice, given that they’ll be able to witness another movie from the franchise. However, this news also casts major doubts for some, who are worried about Peter Jackson‘s involvement in The Hunt for Gollum. While Jackson directed all six previous films, he will only be producing this latest addition.

J.R.R Tolkien released The lord o the Rings book series in thre vilumes starting with The Fellowship of the Ting | Credits: New Line CinemaGandalf the White in The Lord of the Rings || Credits: New Line Cinema

Recently, Ian McKellen, who has portrayed Gandalf in all of Jackson’s LOTR movies, provided an update on the upcoming film. In a post on X, Discussing Film shared a snippet from McKellen’s This Morning interview, where he revealed that the makers had called him up for The Hunt for Gollum.

He also mentioned that the movie would reportedly be split into two parts. After coming across the said post fans quickly rushed to the comments section to voice their opinions.

The comments section was filled with remarks pointing out that the upcoming movie, split into two parts, might suffer the same fate as The Hobbit trilogy. Fans argue that the makers seem focused more on a cash grab than on maintaining the quality of the films.

The original Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson, set a high standard for quality with its carefully crafted storylines and practical effects. However, when Jackson transitioned to The Hobbit trilogy, he presented a CGI slob fest on screen.

With Jackson now serving as the producer for the upcoming movie, it suggests he still holds significant creative control. Critics feel that he could have intervened to prevent the splitting of the movie into two parts but chose not to.

This decision raises red flags for admirers of the original movies, who see it as a potential desecration of J.R.R. Tolkien’s LOTR legacy, driven by a profit-first mentality.

Peter Jackson Revealed His Reasoning to Step Into the Lord of the Rings Universe Again

Peter Jackson || Credits: foilman || CCA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons

The Hobbit might have failed to capture the magic of the Lord of the Rings movies, but there’s no denying the impressive work Peter Jackson did in the original trilogy. Now, almost a decade after the last Hobbit movie, he’s working as a producer for The Hunt for Gollum.

In a recent interview, he detailed why he decided to dive back into the LOTR universe. He mentioned that while the previous movies touched upon Gollum’s storyline, they failed to fully capture the true essence of his complex backstory.

Jackson’s main aim for the upcoming project is to explore the untapped elements of Gollum’s life and journey. He added:

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. 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.

Further, he praised Andy Serkis, who famously played Gollum and is currently directing and acting in the upcoming movie. While Jackson’s involvement has been a subject of contention on the internet, his recent comments can be seen as a positive sign that he’s focusing on expanding Tolkien’s Middle-earth narrative.