I have unreasonably strong opinions on trivial things and gosh darn it you will read them.
The Lord of the Rings films are without a doubt the greatest and most consistent cinematic trilogy of all time and I am yet to see another franchise come close to them. I will consistently rewatch the extended editions every year without fail, The Hobbit films are optional. So you’d think the news of a new film would excite me, alas, I sadly have mixed emotions. Emotions that only grow more divided with the news revealed this morning of some of the newest cast members announced for the film, and more importantly, who it is they are playing.
The newest film by Andy Serkis is titled The Hunt for Gollum, it will be a prequel to the original trilogy, but taking place after The Hobbit films and will of course star everyone’s favourite deformed Hobbit Sméagol. The film is set to see the return of many iconic characters including Frodo, Gandalf, and Strider. The movie, which is set to be directed by Andy Serkis himself, will follow Aragorns journey to locate Gollum to prevent Sauron from discovering the rings location. Hell yes, give me more Aragorn and my beloved Viggo Mortensen! Catch the cast announcement below.
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Uhm. That list doesn’t say Viggo Mortensen. WHERE IS VIGGO?!
The announced cast sees the return of beloved actors in some iconic roles but will also feature other iconic roles passed on to new actors, and new characters played by other acting veterans. For starters Andy Serkis will return to portray the role that put him on the map with Sméagol and Gollum. The legendary Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, Lee Pace also returns as Thranduil, as does Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins. Kate Winslet will be joining Middle Earth as Marigol the female lead, Leo Woodall also joins the cast as Halvard. Lastly, as the film is a prequel taking place years before the original film, the role of Aragorn was recast as Viggo Mortensen as a younger version of the character was needed. Aragorn in this film will instead be portrayed by Jamie Dornan from the Fifty Shades of Grey Franchise. Who knows what to expect from this new film, how does Frodo come into this, will Ian McKellen get to act with people this time around rather than on a green screen, will Jamie Dornan’s Strider ride around with whips and chains?
Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is expected to arrive late 2027.
