Summary
- Warner Bros is focusing on creating more Lord of the Rings content, starting with The Hunt for Gollum movie.
- There is potential for more compelling storylines in the Lord of the Rings universe, such as exploring Aragorn's history.
- While Gollum is a popular choice, tapping into Aragorn's history could offer fresh and exciting opportunities for future movies.
Warner Bros is rumored to want to focus more on the Lord of the Rings intellectual property moving forward in a bid to create more content. That is starting with the upcoming movie The Hunt for Gollum, which is expected to release in 2026, and will further the legacy and lore of the Lord of the Rings franchise.
This will see Warner Bros bring Gollum back into cinemas, and plenty of people are excited about that. However, while many Lord of the Rings fans are anticipating the return of Gollum, there is actually a better story that Warner Bros could tell from this world.
What Will The Hunt For Gollum Focus On?
Information regarding The Hunt for Gollum is being kept closely guarded at this stage, with Warner Bros creating a mystery around the movie. Obviously, Gollum is set to be the lead character, and that will see Andy Serkis back in the role with Warner Bros looking to create more iconic motion capture moments. There is a story within the novels that focuses on trying to find the character of Gollum before the Fellowship is created in a bid to learn more information and stop Gollum from passing it on to the wrong people, and that could be what this movie ends up being based on.
Much like The Hobbit trilogy, this will be a prequel movie to Peter Jackson's original trilogy and is set to take place between Bilbo's 111th birthday part right until the Fellowship enters the Mines of Moria. That will open up a specific timeline for the movie to fall into, and it will likely lead to a lot of crossover with the Fellowship of the Ring, which could be an interesting situation for fans of that movie. There will have to be links to the original trilogy due to the characters involved, and while that will add more lore to that, other stories might've been a wiser choice.
There Is A Better Lord Of The Rings Story To Push
Even though seeing Gollum return to the Lord of the Rings franchise has the potential to be a lot of fun, many stories could be created from this world. A considerable amount of lore could be tapped into, and one of those is based on the character of Aragorn. Unlike Gollum, this iconic character hasn't been seen since Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, and there is more interest in seeing him again due to how important he was during that trilogy.
There's a great opportunity to focus on the story of a young Aragorn and his time as a ranger in the Grey Company. This would be a more compelling story, likely featuring more action, and would be set in a completely different time period in Middle Earth. Audiences are very familiar with when The Hunt for Gollum is going to be set, meaning there is no new ground being opened up. However, delving further into the past would've given people an idea of how Middle Earth looked before that point, which would've been interesting and could've allowed for something fresh in terms of setting.
The character of Aragorn could have been recast, while different characters who hadn't been seen before could have been introduced. It still would've had a connection to the Lord of the Rings due to Aragorn being the central focus, and it would only have made him more interesting when audiences decided to rewatch the Lord of the Rings movies.
Could Aragorn Be Involved In The Hunt For Gollum?
Even though Aragorn's history isn't being focused on for the upcoming Lord of the Rings spin-off movie, that doesn't mean he won't be involved. There is a very real chance that Aragorn could be part of The Hunt for Gollum, and that's something that audiences want to see. In the novels, Gandalf sends Aragorn to literally hunt for Gollum; therefore, if Warner Bros wants to tap into that storyline specifically, then he could have some role in the movie. That would potentially be the best of both worlds and if a cameo goes well, it could open the door for more.
The decision to focus on Gollum obviously taps into his Lord of the Rings connection, and that's going to capture people's attention due to how well-known the brand is. Gollum is the easiest character to bring back from that because it is done via motion capture. As long as Serkis can physically take on the role, then it's easy to do, while recasting Aragorn could potentially have been met with a negative response. The Hunt for Gollum has the chance to be entertaining and build up the Lord of the Rings franchise even more, which will be a popular choice. But hopefully, Warner Bros considers tapping into Aragorn's history for future movies as that has tons of scope to be exciting and fresh.
