The Lord of the Rings is seeing a resurgence, and the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum movie could set up a key shift in the franchise. The new Gollum movie will be directed by Andy Serkis and will also star him as the eponymous Gollum. Showing Gollum’s perspective, the movie has a shot at elaborating on some of Lord of the Rings’ most intriguing characters. Gandalf and Sauron are both fairly likely to feature in the movie in some way, allowing it to tackle Sauron’s aggressive part in the War of the Ring.

This is due to the movie’s timeframe – it is set between Bilbo’s birthday party and the Fellowship entering Moria. The movie is poised to cover storylines featuring both characters. Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies creatively interpreted literature’s greatest villain – Sauron, of course. Created by high fantasy master, J.R.R. Tolkien, Sauron was a cruel, blackened figure with a calculating, vicious role in the war. But Jackson’s movies didn’t have the time to fully display the extent of Sauron’s evil. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum gives Warner Bros. another chance at this.

Hunt For Gollum Can Finally Show How Cruelly Sauron Started The Lord Of The Rings’ War

Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Left Out Key Parts Of The War

Peter Jackson left loads of the War of the Ring out of his movies; it was far more complex and had more battles than the movies showed. But even casual book readers may not be aware of quite how brutal and unnecessary Sauron’s war was – he attacked Mirkwood and Osgiliath on the same day, unprovoked, and showing this would have made him look much worse. Gollum was in Mirkwood at the time, so Hunt for Gollum could show these events, and start showing how evil Sauron is. That is valuable since Sauron is a tad sympathetic in Rings of Power.

Hunt For Gollum Can Banish Sympathy For Sauron After Rings Of Power’s Tragic Figure

Rings Of Power’s Sauron Is Strong But Warner Bros. Can Make Him More Despicable

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Amazon Prime Video presents Sauron in a more sympathetic light than what most viewers and readers are used to, and Hunt for Gollum has the chance to bring this character back to his roots as the world’s most despicable villain. Sauron in The Rings of Power used his fair form in Lord of the Rings’ Second Age, deceiving others with kind words and sweet smiles. The show also portrays his suffering. Overall, the character became more nuanced and relatable. The variety this brings to LotR is appreciated, and now Hunt for Gollum can maintain that variety.

The Hunt For Gollum Timeline
Year
Month
Date

Bilbo’s birthday party
3001
September
22

Gandalf started seeking news of Gollum and called on Aragorn’s help
3001
Unknown
Unknown

Gandalf and Aragorn renewed their hunt for Gollum
3009 – 3017
Unknown
Unknown

Sauron captured and tortured Gollum
3009 – 3017
Unknown
Unknown

Sauron let Gollum go
3017
Unknown
Unknown

Aragorn caught Gollum
3017
Unknown
Unknown

Sauron attacked Osgiliath and Mirkwood, Gollum escaped
3018
June
20

All trace of Gollum lost, Gollum thought to have entered Moria
3018
August
Unknown

Frodo left Bag End
3018
September
23

Council of Elrond, meeting of the Fellowship
3018
October
25

Fellowship left Rivendell
3018
December
25

Fellowship reached West-gate of Moria
3019
January
13

In its likelihood of showing Sauron’s forces assaulting Mirkwood and Osgiliath, Hunt for Gollum can address Sauron’s true military capacity. The might of Sauron and Saruman was displayed in The Return of the King movie, but Sauron’s cruel, double-pronged attack is a key part of the War of the Ring, only mentioned in LotR’s appendices. The movie may also show Sauron’s torture of Gollum, which is another key tent pole in the events of Aragorn’s hunt for Gollum. This will ensure the final banishment of sympathy for Sauron from The Lord of the Rings franchise. At least, until the next adaptation.