The production behind the Gollum hunt film project is reportedly tempted to pull the string. Actor Ian McKellen (Gandalf) has hinted that it will no longer be one, but two films. This, while the source material is extremely thin. A mistake already seen with The Hobbit.
It was one of the big cinematic announcements of the spring: the shooting of a film centered on Gollum, scheduled for release in theaters in 2026. A project that quickly generated a certain enthusiasm, because big names already present in the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson’s films have been moved forward, both behind the camera, with the return of key writers, but also in front, with a familiar cast.
Gollum’s Track thus mobilizes Andy Serkis, the actor who has already played Gollum, and who will also find himself behind the camera as director. Peter Jackon is also in the running as producer. For the screenplay, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, already present during the two trilogies of SdA a you Hobbitare returning. Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou have also been hired for the story.
Only a few lines in the novels
Until now, the understanding of this project was to build a single film around a relatively brief passage from JRR Tolkien’s novels, evoking the hunt for Gollum. In it, the famous ranger Aragorn (played in the films by Viggo Mortensen, who could return for the occasion) gives a report to Gandalf (Ian McKellen, who has also said he is willing to participate in the project).
The testimony transcribed in the books is very concise, with just a few lines giving a rather general indication of the challenges that presented themselves on Aragorn’s road to get his hands on Gollum. A few places are also mentioned to situate the hero’s journey. We also know that he was in contact with the Elves at that time, which opens the way to the presence of Thranduil (Lee Pace), or even his son Legolas (Orlando Bloom).
One or two movies?
But during an interview given to the show This MorningIan McKellen slipped in a little sentence that suggests a whole other scale to the project that is being prepared. It would no longer be a question of just one film, but of two. I probably shouldn’t say this, because I haven’t read the script, I don’t know when it’s going to be shot, and I don’t even know where it’s going to be filmed. ” he said.
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This revelation is enough to raise a few concerned eyebrows, because it must be understood that the source text is extremely thin. Barely a few lines, plus additional information in the appendices – dates. This allows us to add details and to situate this hunt for Gollum before The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s a prequel.
The risk of a story that is too long
When Peter Jackson made the trilogy Lord of the Ringshe had at his disposal three novels, each three hundred pages long. Each film focused on one volume and, as there was a lot of material, the filmmaker discarded certain elements, reworked others, so that it could fit into a duration compatible with a film.
The trilogy of Hobbit followed this format, but the source material was more modest: JRR Tolkien’s novel is a single volume of three hundred pages. It would not have been absurd to adapt the number of films accordingly. However, Peter Jackson still made three feature films from the work; however, the general opinion is that this second trilogy is of lesser quality than that of LotR.
The fault, in particular, lies in the lengths and subplots invented from scratch to artificially have enough to offer three films. This is especially the case with the last feature film, The Battle of the Five Armieswhich is the focus of most of the criticism, more than the first two (An unexpected journey et The Desolation of Smaug). The final battle is literally endless, and the exchanges between the protagonists are sluggish.
From then on, there is reason to wonder if the hunt for Gollum will not embark on an equally shaky path, with superfluous things, where the whole story could fit into a single film. At this stage, nothing has been officially decided: only Ian McKellen has mentioned this transition to two films instead of one. However, we would not really be surprised. The world of Middle-earth is a goose that lays golden eggs, and the temptation is great to pull the rope.
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