Fans were surprised to learn that a DC villain heavily influenced the new Lord of the Rings film, The Hunt for Gollum. Director Peter Jackson explained that the inspiration centers on a character’s descent into madness – the transformation from the hobbit Smeagól into the creature known as Gollum.
At the Cannes Film Festival, Jackson shared that the 2019 film Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, heavily influenced their new movie. The film focuses on Aragorn’s journey before he joins the Fellowship, specifically his quest to find Gollum and prevent him from revealing the One Ring’s location to Sauron. According to Comic Book Movie, Jackson explained they were inspired by Joker’s psychological exploration of its main character and plan to tell a story from Gollum’s internal perspective, using material found in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings.
Just How Dark Can it Be Inside Gollum’s Head?
Honestly, I totally get why Peter Jackson let Andy Serkis take the lead on a potential Gollum-focused film. Jackson himself said he’s much more interested in letting Andy really get into Gollum’s head – understand his addiction and inner turmoil. Jackson admitted he doesn’t want to delve into that darkness himself! He believes Andy would make a far more compelling and insightful film about Gollum’s struggles than he ever could, and he’s happy to let Andy take that creative control. He’s smart enough to recognize when someone else is the right person for the job, and he clearly thinks Andy will knock it out of the park.
Reactions to the new series, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, are mixed. While some fans are thrilled to see more content from this world, others feel it’s stretching the story too thin. One fan expressed cautious optimism, saying they weren’t expecting much, but appreciated that the series seemed to be made with genuine affection for the source material, and any positive outcome would be a welcome surprise.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will release in theaters on December 17, 2027.
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2026-05-17 01:15