“Can’t tell if this is a good thing or bad thing.”
“So he doesn’t want anyone to see it, huh?”
“Doesn’t sound good to me.”
These are just a few of the comments on Reddit after Peter Jackson compared the upcoming Lord of the Rings spin-off film, The Hunt for Gollum, to Todd Phillips’ 2019 Joker film in a recent IndieWire interview. And if you need a reminder: that’s the film with Joaquin Phoenix that divided DC fans but danced down stairs all the way to the Oscars. Naturally, Lord of the Rings fans are very nervous about the upcoming film.
“From the man that brought us Animal Farm 2026? Nah I’m good,” someone else posted. “Gollum: Folie à Deux,” another wrote.
Fans have been generally apprehensive about The Hunt for Gollum, which is meant to be a prequel to The Lord of the Rings that focuses on Gollum’s story. The announcement of the film so long after the originals has already made many uneasy. Then came the news that Andy Serkis was directing it. And considering his past works as a director, it’s easy to see why. Following that, there was the announcement that Fifty Shades of Grey‘s Jamie Dornan will replace Viggo Mortensen as Strider (aka Aragorn) in the film. None of this has been reassuring. Now, the original film’s director, Peter Jackson, is saying that the film was inspired by Joker. Naturally, everyone lost it.
So Why Did Peter Jackson Compare Gollum to Joker in the First Place?
In a new interview with IndieWire, Jackson explained that he and Fran Walsh actually used the DC Elseworlds film as a blueprint for how to approach Gollum’s story. “We were thinking about the original Joker film, the one with Joaquin Phoenix,” Jackson said. “The way that explored the Joker’s psychology while it was telling a story. We’ve got the story that’s in the appendices, and we’ll tell that story, but we’ll tell it from an internal Gollum perspective.”
Okay, to be fair, when you read the quote as a whole, it doesn’t sound like they’re copying the film, but instead are inspired by how the film tackled Joker’s psychology. It doesn’t mean we’ll get Gollum dancing down the stairs or singing “precious” musical numbers out of tune.
But quotes like that obviously don’t help reassure fans about The Hunt for Gollum.
And as to why Jackson isn’t directing the film himself, he told IndieWire that, “I thought the film would be more interesting if Andy did it. I honestly, truly believe that if it’s a film about Gollum’s addiction and internal struggles, Andy would make a much more interesting film than me. If I thought I’d do a better film, I’d do it.”
And sure, nobody knows Gollum better than Serkis. I mean, the guy practically donated his spine to motion capture technology for the franchise. But his recent failure with the animated Animal Farm for Angel Studios doesn’t work in his favor. And, if we’re honest, Serkis’ directing résume isn’t good at all. In fact, if The Hunt for Gollum is a good film, it might be his first universally well-received film.
Warner Bros. reportedly plans to spend more than $200 million on The Hunt for Gollum. That’s a huge gamble, sure. But considering that most of the cast of the originals (including Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood) will be returning, it’s almost guaranteed to get fans to movie theaters.
With a release date set for December 17, 2027, production for The Hunt for Gollum (which Peter Jackson is writing and producing) begins later this month in New Zealand.
But as of right now, though, the internet sounds less like Gandalf and more like Gollum arguing with himself.
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