Welcome back stinkers! We have gotten a lot of nerdy news recently, and I have been trying my best to deliver. So, make sure you read through my thoughts on The Hunt for Gollum, and stay tuned for new Fantastic Four castings, and more.
New Batch of Lord of the Rings Movies
During Warner Bros. Discovery’s first quarter earnings call, CEO David Zaslav said that the company is in the early stages of script development for a new batch of Lord of the Rings movies. Zaslav goes on to say that he anticipates a 2026 release date. The thing to take away from this is that it isn’t just one movie (The Hunt for Gollum), it’s multiple. Now I really wonder what they’re coming up with. Zaslav goes into detail that they’ll explore storylines yet to be told. My guess it might just be that they give solo movies to some of the Lord of the Rings characters. Like maybe one about Gandolf, or a movie about the elves. If that is the way they go, I think it is unlikely they do movies on people like Frodo or any of the Hobbits. Just because they’ve already made a whole trilogy of Hobbit movies.
Peter Jackson Back for Gollum!
David Zaslav then goes into detail that director Peter Jackson and his writing partners Fran Walsh (His Wife) and Philippa Boyens will be there every step of the way. Walsh and Boyens will write the screenplay, and Jackson will produce the film. Now, usually hearing that some amazing filmmaker is producing a movie, doesn’t usually get me excited. Steven Spielberg has produced a butt ton of movies. I might just have to give an exception to Jackson though. If Zaslav didn’t say that he’ll be there every step of the way, I wouldn’t be as excited. Jackson did a beautiful job with the original movies, and he has such a deep care for them, I would believe he would want these new movies to be on that same level. The original screenplay writers are also returning as well. These guys also worked on the original movies, and I’m sure they have the same level of care as Jackson.
Andy Serkis to Direct The Hunt for Gollum
Gollum himself is set to direct the upcoming film. The working title as of now is Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Gollum from a solo movie standpoint is a very interesting choice. However, they might’ve gotten the best director for a Gollum movie. No one knows Gollum more than Gollum himself, Andy Serkis. Serkis has been rising in director fame recently with his Mowgli movie, Venom: Let There be Carnage, and he is soon to release a film adaptation of the book, Animal Farm. Serkis isn’t just going to direct, but he is also going to return to the mocap suit. Now I don’t know a lot about the world of Middle Earth. A franchise that I have been wanting and trying to get into and learn more about. All I can tell you is that from what I’ve seen, this movie has a lot of green flags.
Overall Thoughts
Lord of the Rings has really been a blind spot franchise for me, and I feel really terrible about it. I am certainly going to watch them before this new Gollum movie. Maybe even before the animated movie set to release this year. Like I said, this movie has a lot of green flags, and a lot going for it. I think this movie will be safe in the hands of the writers, Peter Jackson, and Andy Serkis.
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to catch up on some movie news. Stay tuned on The Big Stinker Blog for the new Office TV show, new Fantastic Four castings, and more. So, until next time stinkers! Bye bye.