The Lord Of The Rings spin-off The Hunt For Gollum will not be split into two films, screenwriter Philippa Boyens has confirmed.
The upcoming film, which will be directed by Gollum himself Andy Serkis, was announced earlier this year, and rumours have since been swirling about how the story will be told. This included the notion that the movie will be split into two parts, which originated from an interview with Gandalf actor Sir Ian McKellen.
Boyens has since set the record straight in an interview with Empire. “I can tell you definitively it isn’t two films!” she said. “That was a genuine misunderstanding that happened because we’ve begun to work, conceptually, on two different live-action films. The first being The Hunt For Gollum, the second one still to be confirmed.”
Of Serkis’ feature, she said: “It’s quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria. It’s a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature.”
Asked why McKellen might have thought The Hunt For Gollum would be a two-parter, she explained: “We’re playing around with a number of ideas, but most of those ideas do include Gandalf. So Gandalf would potentially return for two live-action films.”
The Lord Of The Rings The Fellowship Of The Ring. Credit: Getty Images
Boyens also shared that a second animated film could be on the cards if The War Of The Rohirrim – on which she is a writer – proves to be a success this December.
“We have an absolute banger of a second film that would just be incredible as an anime,” she teased. “But let’s see if there’s an appetite for it.”
The Hunt For Gollum is due for release in 2026 with Peter Jackson and his team producing. “Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating,” McKellen told the Big Issue recently. “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.
“When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So, they better be quick,” he added. Earlier this year, McKellen said he would consider playing Gandalf in the new film “if I’m alive”.
Viggo Mortensen has also weighed in on the possibility of returning to the franchise to reprise his role of Aragorn. “I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. I enjoyed it a lot. I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth. It would be silly to do it otherwise,” he said.
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