Andy Serkis Says "I Can't Escape" Gollum Before Flying to New Zealand to Start New LORD OF THE RINGS Movie
Andy Serkis is getting ready to bring us back to the land of Middle-Earth in the new film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which Serkis is directing and once again starring in the title role, which he’s been playing via motion capture since 2002’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
The actor and director expressed his excitement for heading back to shoot in New Zealand in a recent interview with Variety, where he said:
“I’m very excited to go back. I leave for New Zealand on Saturday [Sept. 6]. We’re going down to start prep and working on it, because I’m directing. I’m thrilled to return to the family that I’ve loved working with for many years, and a character that I cannot escape from.”
Peter Jackson, who directed The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, is producing The Hunt for Gollum with longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Warner Bros. stressed when announcing Gollum that the trio “will be involved every step of the way.”
Boyens previously told Empire magazine that The Hunt for Gollum is “quite an intense story” that “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.”
Original Rings cast members like Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Orlando Bloom (Legolas) and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) have all expressed interest in returning for the new film should the story make sense for their characters to appear, although no additional casting has been confirmed.
McKellen revealed at London’s For Love of Fantasy event in August that Gandalf, the character he played, and Frodo, played by Elijah Wood, would be back for The Hunt for Gollum. It’s unclear at this time in what capacity the characters will be featured.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum will be released in theaters on December 17, 2027.