Peter Jackson Has Explained Why He's Not Directing Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

The Lord of the Rings manager Peter Jackson has explained wherefore he's not successful complaint of the franchise's adjacent section — The Hunt for Gollum — and wherefore helium thinks Gollum histrion Andy Serkis volition bash a "more exciting" job.

Speaking astatine the Cannes movie festival (via Variety), Jackson answered questions astir the upcoming Middle-earth movie — the archetypal of respective to revive the franchise for the large surface implicit the adjacent mates of years.

As its sanction suggests, The Hunt for Gollum volition spot galore characters (Gandalf! Aragorn! Sauron!) tracking the fallen hobbit to find retired what has go of the One Ring. It's a prequel to Fellowship of the Ring (where we observe that Bilbo has had it each along), and a further accidental for Andy Serkis to amusement disconnected his question seizure mastery.

"I could person directed it but I conscionable thought, 'I've done it,'" Jackson said, acknowledging the information helium had already helmed the afloat Lord of the Rings trilogy, and was lone drafted successful to nonstop The Hobbit aft Guillermo del Toro dropped out.

"And it's not due to the fact that of maine that I thought, 'I've done it,'" Jackson continued. "I thought it would beryllium much interesting... [if] Gollum himself, Andy Serkis, directed it. Because the movie is beauteous overmuch an interior communicative astir Gollum's science and addiction.

"It's a precise idiosyncratic communicative to Gollum, the character, and I thought that Andy knows this feline amended than anybody. So I really didn't truly deliberation overmuch of maine astatine all. I thought the astir breathtaking mentation of this movie is if Andy Serkis makes it due to the fact that he's going to enactment Gollum's science connected surface similar you can't imagine."

The Hunt for Gollum filming is present astir to statesman successful New Zealand, with Ian McKellen backmost arsenic Gandalf, Elijah Wood returning arsenic Frodo, and Lee Pace reprising his quality from The Hobbit, elven king Thranduil. Aragorn, however, has been recast — seemingly owed to Viggo Mortensen declining to participate. Fifty Shades of Grey histrion Jamie Dornan volition present instrumentality connected the Ranger's role.

Jackson concluded by stating helium was present "leaving [Serkis] to it," portion being on-hand for assistance if it was required.

"I'm leaving him to it," Jackson said. "I'm determination to assistance if I tin help, if I tin beryllium of assistance astatine definite times, I'm there. But I'm giving him arsenic overmuch state arsenic I can, due to the fact that giving Andy state to marque that movie volition effect successful the champion imaginable film."

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is owed to onshore successful theaters connected December 17, 2027. It volition beryllium followed by The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, the movie present being co-written by Stephen Colbert, which volition accommodate unseen elements from Tolkein's Fellowship of the Ring novel, told via flashback.

So, what is Jackson up to these days? As portion of the aforesaid speech astatine Cannes, the manager said helium was presently penning a publication for his long-awaited 2nd Tintin movie, 15 years connected from the archetypal adventure's release. Fans expect this task to accommodate the classical comic publication serials The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun — oregon astatine slightest that was Jackson's volition erstwhile helium was moving connected the task astir a decennary ago.

Photo by Darren Gerrish/WireImage.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social