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Actor Ian McKellen has discussed the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie, which is tentatively titled The Hunt for Gollum. Appearing on the British TV show This Morning, McKellen said he doesn’t know much about the movie but expects to get a script in 2025.
“All I know is they called me up and said these films were going to happen and they’re mainly going to be about Gollum. Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, is going to direct. And there will be a script arriving sometime in the new year,” he said (via Discussing Film). “And then I’ll judge whether I want to go back. But I would. I would love to go back to New Zealand.
McKellen mentioned how the Harry Potter film series had two different actors play the Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore, and he doesn’t want that to happen for Gandalf.
“I don’t like the idea of anybody else playing Gandalf,” he said.
Richard Harris played Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies and was replaced by Michael Gambon following Harris’ death in 2002.
Also in the interview, McKellen said he’s been told about two new Lord of the Rings films. This doesn’t necessarily mean The Hunt for Gollum will be a two-part movie, though. After all, Warner Bros. Discovery already confirmed The Hunt for Gollum is one of multiple new Lord of the Rings films in the works. “I’m told it’s two films. I probably shouldn’t be saying this,” he said.
McKellen went on to reiterate that he hasn’t read a script yet and doesn’t know when or where the movie might film. Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films were shot in New Zealand, but McKellen said advancements to technology in filmmaking might allow him to film scenes at home in London–but it wouldn’t be his preference. “These days, I could probably film it all in London. But I’d rather not–I’d rather go back to [New Zealand],” he said.
GameSpot has reached out to Warner Bros. Discovery in an attempt to get more details.
Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, the Oscar-winning trio behind the original Lord of the Rings films, are coming back for The Hunt for Gollum. Warner Bros. Discovery is targeting a 2026 release for The Hunt for Gollum.
The Hunt for Gollum might still be some time off, but the next Lord of the Rings movie, The War of the Rohirrim, comes to theaters this December. The animated film tells the story of Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox) and Princess Hera (Gaia Wise).
