The Hunt for Gollum Will Be Just One Movie, After All

During a caller interrogation with Empire, The Lord of the Rings co-screenwriter Philippa Boyens confirmed Andy Serkis‘s upcoming spinoff movie starring his ain breakout motion-capture character, The Hunt for Gollum, volition beryllium conscionable 1 movie—not 2 arsenic was previously reported.

“I tin archer you definitively it isn’t 2 films,” she says. “That was a genuine misunderstanding that happened due to the fact that we’ve begun to work, conceptually, connected 2 antithetic live-action films. The archetypal being The Hunt For Gollum, the 2nd 1 inactive to beryllium confirmed.”

Boyens additionally revealed the timeframe of the Gollum spinoff successful narration to The Fellowship of the Ring. “It’s rather an aggravated story, which falls aft the day enactment of Bilbo and earlier the Mines of Moria. It’s a circumstantial chunk of unthinkable untold story, told done the position of this unthinkable creature.”

If you recall, the rumor Serkis’ Gollum representation would beryllium dispersed crossed 2 feature-length films originated successful an interrogation with Sir Ian McKellan; his disorder seemingly stemmed from a miscommunication with Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films which has “multiple” ideas for further projects starring Gandalf, according to Boyens. “We’re playing astir with a fig of ideas, but astir of those ideas bash see Gandalf,” she told Empire. “So Gandalf would perchance instrumentality for 2 live-action films. We person an implicit banger of a 2nd movie that would conscionable beryllium unthinkable arsenic an anime. But let’s spot if there’s an appetite for it.”

In lawsuit you’ve forgotten, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim—an anime phantasy movie directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Patlabor, Ghost successful the Shell: Stand Alone Complex)—is acceptable for a theatrical merchandise this December 13. Starring Brian Cox arsenic the legendary Helm Hammerhand, the communicative concerns the erstwhile King of Rohan and his household arsenic they support their kingdom against an service of Dunlendings. Depending connected however good that movie does, we could additionally get a follow-up anime starring the 85-year aged McKellan arsenic Gandalf successful a voiceover role.

But that honestly begs the question of whether the American moviegoing nationalist volition beryllium funny successful seeing a accepted 2D animated film—or Serkis’s film, for that matter, a full 20 years pursuing the merchandise of The Return of the King and 10 years aft a Hobbit trilogy mostly remembered for its tie-in Denny’s menu. To punctuation Gandalf himself: “All we person to determine is what to bash with the clip that is fixed to us.”

Want much io9 news? Check retired erstwhile to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s adjacent for the DC Universe connected movie and TV, and everything you request to cognize astir the aboriginal of Doctor Who.