The Hunt for Gollum

When a beloved saga like The Lord of the Rings resurfaces, expectations soar. The original Peter Jackson trilogy remains a pinnacle of cinematic achievement. Entrusting its legacy to new hands is a precarious proposition. The upcoming Hunt for Gollum, though backed by familiar names—Andy Serkis directing, with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens involved in production or screenwriting—raises alarm bells. High-profile involvement doesn’t guarantee magic; in fact, it can sometimes feel like a security blanket for studio risk rather than a signal of inspired creativity.

There’s also the broader context of Middle‑earth content churn. The 2024 animated prequel The War of the Rohirrim performed poorly at the box office, grossing just $20.7 million against a $30 million budget.

Critics called it small‑scale, with visuals and storytelling far below the grandeur fans expect

While some outlets lauded its aesthetic faithfulness and voice cast, others dismissed it as dull and derivative

This suggests that even with ties to the original trilogy, creative cohesion may be lacking.

Redditors encapsulate widespread apprehension. One lamented the lack of passion, describing the new Middle‑earth projects as “just greed,” riding on nostalgia without genuine care.

Another voiced frustration with relentless IP exploitation: “They’re milking the IP for all the money they can,” he wrote, drawing parallels to Star Wars and Marvel fatigue.

There’s a palpable fear that these films will reduce Tolkien’s deeply textured world into bland franchise fodder.

Specifically for Hunt for Gollum, the story’s appeal is risky. Gollum’s pursuit of the Ring is compelling, but it’s already familiar territory. Revealing backstory can strip mystery. A storyline without stakes is hard to energize—fans know where Gollum ends up, and we know the broader outcome of the saga. When stakes are known, emotional engagement becomes a challenge rather than a given.

Even some fans are skeptical of prequels: “I hate prequels. No matter what genre … I can tell you how they end … This is no exception”

The Hobbits’ elongated treatment in The Hobbit trilogy is a cautionary tale; stretching modest source material into sprawling epics produced bloated, uneven storytelling that prioritized spectacle over coherence.

Moreover, the current media climate amplifies corporate motives over craft. With Warner Bros. and the Tolkien Estate keen to expand the cinematic universe, the worry is that creativity could be sidelined by branding and revenue calculations. One fan observed that Hollywood often erodes narrative integrity in favor of safe, marketable content.

Then there’s the tonal shift risk. Gollum is complex, tragic, dark—but Hunt for Gollum risks being either too somber or sanitizing that nuance. If it leans into spectacle, it could become Hollow CGI; if it tries to stay introspective, it may feel dull to those expecting action. Without Peter Jackson’s unique vision carrying the entire project, balancing tone, pacing, and character depth is much harder.

That said, fans point to some hopeful signs: Serkis’s personal connection to Gollum could bring emotional gravitas, and the involvement of Boyens and Jackson in script development gives a glimmer of continuity

But that’s also why expectations are sky‑high—which doubles the risk of disappointment. When people have already romanticized the original trilogy, any deviation risks feeling like a betrayal, even if it’s well executed.

Additionally, Hunt for Gollum is scripted by a team (Walsh, Boyens), but Gollum is a singular, wildly complex figure whose arc demands meticulous nuance. Splitting the creative process risks diluting that nuance. The original trilogy spent years honing tone, pacing, and character arcs; cranking out another movie faster—in service of timeline deadlines or franchise breadth—may sacrifice the slow burn artistry that gave Tolkien his legendary screen adaptation.

Ultimately, The Hunt for Gollum feels potentially like the wrong story, in the wrong way, at the wrong time. Tolkien’s world is best served when new stories emerge from passion, not profit; when they add depth, not redundancy. Prequels don’t inherently fail, but this one appears to be riding the wave rather than charting new territory.

All this isn’t to say the film will be definitively bad, but the signs stack precariously. Fan fatigue, IP overuse, low‑stakes storytelling, uneven precedent, and corporate pressures create an environment hostile to creativity. Unless Serkis and his team can transcend these forces—and inject real emotion, vision, and individuality—Hunt for Gollum may end up as a forgettable shadow of its own universe, not a worthy chapter.

So yes, I fear the new Lord of the Rings movie will not be good—not because of Gollum per se, but because the ecosystem producing it feels profit-first, derivative afterthought rather than bold, faithful cinematic artistry.