Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | January 6, 2026
Y’all, I am such an easy mark for The Lord of the Rings. Actually, let me clarify that I’m specifically a big old mark for Peter Jackson’s adaptations of The Lord of the Rings. I love the books, but the movies hit me at just the right time and remain lodged comfortably in my brain. When they were being released in theaters, and for years afterward, I was a regular collector of any branded toys or board games. I was hooked, and that attitude has continued for decades (Jesus).
All that is to say, it takes a lot for me to be uninterested in something set in Jackson’s version of Middle Earth. I’ve played video games, I’ve sat through the Hobbit movies (don’t like the first, quite enjoy the latter two), and my love even made me try out Rings of Power, which I enjoy, but it’s a far cry from the world Jackson so deftly brought to life. But, friends, I guess I have to draw the line somewhere, because I could not be less excited for The Hunt For Gollum.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is being directed by the creature himself, Andy Serkis. Details about the film are scarce, but presumably, it’s going to take place in the time between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Gollum will have lost the ring, but the residents of Middle Earth will be on the prowl for him regardless. In the books, the gap between stories lasts 60 years. So, there’s a lot of ground to cover, and they could kind of make up whatever details they’d like.
While we don’t know exactly what the story will include, we do know a couple of actors who will be returning. During a recent panel, Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in Jackson’s films, confirmed his and Elijah Wood’s involvement in the picture. “It’s going to start filming in May. It’s going to be directed by Gollum, and it’s all about Gollum,” the actor began. “But I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting. There’s a character in the movie called Frodo and another character called Gandalf, and apart from that, my lips are sealed.”
What’s wild is that I am pretty excited to see McKellen return as Magneto in Avengers: Doomsday. Again, I am an easy mark. But that movie can at least work with the fact that McKellen is now in his late eighties. The leaked trailer clearly shows them using his advanced age. While Gandalf the Grey is certainly old as well, there is a spryness to him, and we’ll potentially be seeing him at a time when he was much younger, unless he’s telling Gollum’s story to Frodo as they ride away to the Undying Lands (dear Zod, please don’t let that happen).
None of this sounds like a good idea. I wish it did, and I wish I were excited, but it feels more akin to ripping open a juice box to soak up the very last drop remaining inside, even though you’ll barely be able to taste it on your tongue. It will be nice if I’m wrong, and I’m sure this is a big passion project for Andy Serkis, but that seems like a real shot in the dark.
