This year brought significant news from Middle-earth: Warner Bros is set to release more Lord of the Rings films, with Peter Jackson and his team at the helm. Familiar faces are expected to reprise their roles, adding to the excitement. One of the upcoming projects, titled 'The Hunt for Gollum,' is set just before the events of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' and will be directed by Andy Serkis, who famously portrayed Gollum.

Rumors and reports have been circulating, including the idea that 'The Hunt for Gollum' might be split into two films, a notion stemming from an interview with Gandalf actor Sir Ian McKellen. However, Lord of the Rings screenwriter Philippa Boyens clarifies that this is a misunderstanding. 'I can tell you definitively it isn’t two films!' she states. 'That was a genuine misunderstanding that happened because we’ve begun to work, conceptually, on two different live-action films. The first being 'The Hunt for Gollum,' the second one still to be confirmed.'

Boyens promises a gripping narrative in Serkis’ feature. 'It’s quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines of Moria,' she explains. 'It’s a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature.'

Regarding why McKellen might have thought 'The Hunt for Gollum' would be a two-parter, Boyens offers an explanation. 'We’re playing around with a number of ideas, but most of those ideas do include Gandalf,' she says. 'So Gandalf would potentially return for two live-action films.' Additionally, if the anime feature 'The War of the Rohirrim'—on which Boyens is writer-producer—proves successful this December, more animated Middle-earth stories could follow. 'We have an absolute banger of a second film that would just be incredible as an anime,' she teases. 'But let’s see if there’s an appetite for it.'

Who’s ready to go there and back again?

Read Empire’s full Philippa Boyens interview—talking 'The War of the Rohirrim' and the future of 'The Lord of the Rings' on the big screen—in the Mickey 17 issue, on sale Thursday 24 October. Pre-order a copy online here. 'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' hits UK cinemas on 13 December.

Source link:   https://www.empireonline.com