The Middle-Earth Blog

Aragorn To Be Recast for Hunt for Gollum

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 06:21:00 +0000

The Hunt for Gollum director Andy Serkis has confirmed that Aragorn will be recast for the movie. Viggo Mortensen will not be returning. Serkis told ScreenRant "I don't know what's out there at the moment, but I know there's a lot of speculation, but let's just say we are recasting the role and we are on the way to finding someone."

My guess is the decision is for practical reasons as the time setting for the film is between the two Lord of the Ring trilogies and kind of in between minutes of Fellowship of the Ring. Mortensen is now 67 so playing Aragorn as he looked then would be a bit of a challenge with the passage of 25 years. Makeup can only do so much. They could use de-aging technology but it still has uncanny valley issues and suspect the character is in the film a lot so would also blow up the budget. I am curious if they offered Viggo a chance to return and he declined..

The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past Movie Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:06:00 +0000

Sir Peter Jackson and Stephen Colbert (yep the late night host) revealed that they are working on a new movie. Currently called "The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past" will be written by Colbert, Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee with Jackson, Fran Walsh and Boyens as producers. Currently no director but there isn't a script yet and so no release date.

In the video below making the announcement, Colbert said "You know what the books mean to me and what your films mean to me, but the thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in the Fellowship that y’all never developed into the first movie back in the day."

The chapters Colbert is referring to is In The Fellowship of the Rings

Kate Winslet Joins The Hunt For Gollum

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 03:26:00 +0000

Things have been quiet news wise for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum but that may change as the film is heading forwards a production start in New Zealand for the summer.

Deadline is reporting that Kate Winslet has signed on to be the female lead in the movie. No other details about the role were provided. The filming is expected to take place from May to October with actress and her family enjoying New Zealand for the duration. She will join confirmed cast members Elijah Woods (Frodo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), and Hunt for Gollum director Andy Serkis (Gollum).

The film is produced by Peter Jackson who gave Winslet her big break with his movie Heavenly Creatures in 1994. Lord of the Rings writers Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh also co-write the script with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.

The story bridges the gap early in The Fellowship of the Ring when Gandalf confronted Bilbo about the ring and gave it to Frodo before leaving to perform research and his return when he was convinced it was the One Ring and needed Frodo to help him verify in the fire. Movie wise, that gap was about five minutes but book wise it was nearly 20 years. I am sure the movie do the same tricks the trilogy did for the passage of time but shows there is a lot of story they can tell, very little of which of which is in any of Middle-Earth books.

Wood, McKellen Returning for The Hunt for Gollum

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 10:54:00 +0000

Sir Ian McKellen let it be known during a fan event that he along with Elijah Wood are returning as Gandalf and Frodo for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The movie will directed by Andy Serkis who will also play Gollum. The current goal is a December 17, 2027 release date which puts the movie against Avengers: Secret Wars so likely one of them is moving.

“I hear there’s going to be another movie set in Middle-earth, and it’s going to start filming in May. It’s going to be directed by Gollum, and it’s all about Gollum,” he told the For The Love Of Fantasy event, per a video.

“I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting: There’s a character in the movie called Frodo, and there’s a character in the movie called Gandalf,” he continued, knowingly adding: “Apart from that, my lips are sealed.”

Exactly how much they are in the film remains to be seen. In the Fellowship of the Ring movie, there the early scene where Gandalf confronts Bilbo about the ring, suspicious of what it actually was. In what we now know was tremendous will power, Bilbo leaves the ring behind to go on another adventure. Meanwhile Frodo is told he inherited Bags End, told to keep the ring safe and Gandalf goes off to find more information. This is followed by a moment when hear Gollum speak of the "Shire!" and "Baggins" sending the Ringwraiths towards Hobbiton. Then there is a scene of Gandalf at Minas Tirith finding enough information to confirm his suspicions on the ring. The film then quickly cuts to Gandalf returning to Bags End and using fire to verify what it is.

How much time passed between Gandalf leaving ring in Frodo's care and then coming back to verify it with Frodo? The film does not tell you. Could have been days, could have been years. The novel tells you - 19 years. Then there is the time between Gollum losing the ring (seen in The Hobbit films) and escaping the Ringwraiths to track the ring down himself. That was 70 years.

Material wise there really isn't that much information in the novels about what Gollum did during those 70 years of searching besides get captured a few times, once by Aragorn as part of Gandalf's information hunt. Frodo's part in events during that time is unknown but its assumed chilling at home while Gandalf was mostly traveling all over Middle-Earth collecting nuggets of information about the ring. All this is to say, it doesn't seem likely the two characters will have large roles in the film as their part in the hunt was either non-existent (Frodo) or guy getting updates while doing other things (Gandalf). Aragorn could have a large part depending on how the story is told. Much like the trilogy, the start of the Fellowship to defeat of Sauron was around 13 month odyssey according to the books, time will be compressed to make it better fit continuity of the films.

The Rings of Power Season 3 Begins Filming

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 06:46:00 +0000

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has begun filming its third (and possible final) season in the UK. The news comes with news of casting Andrew Richardson (Ponies), Zubin Varla (Andor), and Adam Young (Masters of the Air). No information was revealed on their roles. Considering the series is VFX heavy, that would indicate the release date for the season is at least a year away and that is the optimistic estimate.

The Hunt for Gollum Release Moved to December 17, 2027

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Mar 2025 08:39:00 +0000

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is getting bumped a year from its preliminary release plan. The original release plan was to aim for December 2026 but according to director Andy Serkis, its now been moved to December 17, 2027.

He told The Direct, "We are right at the beginning of the writing process. We will be prepping later this year. Prep takes a good chunk of time, six or seven months, and then we will be shooting next year. So, it backs into that December 2027 release date."

Now we know why updates on this movie have been light. Hard to plan specifics when don't have a script to work from. The rumored goal is to bring actors back from the Lord of the Rings films where appropriate for the story but who knows if that will be possible in a year or so from now.

Update: Date finally became official. The Hunt for Gollum is aiming for a December 17, 2027 release date.

The Rings of Power Renewed for Season 3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 14:36:00 +0000

After its feet way longer than expected, Prime Video have announced that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been renewed for season 3 with preproduction starting. Not entirely clear but it seems production has moved yet again to Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom so suspect lot of the delay was discussions with the showrunner on how to cut the budget for the show.

As for the story, not much was revealed except there will be a time jump with the description saying “Jumping forward several years from the events of season 2, season 3 takes place at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord seeks to craft the One Ring that will give him the edge he needs to win the war and conquer all Middle-earth at last.”

The five year plan is said to be in place but that description makes you wonder if they condensed that plan to just one or two more seasons as all indications are the ratings for the show are lower than Amazon was seeking. Technically the entire show is nothing but time compression considering its covering the Second Age with events spanning thousands of years so a time jump isn't as dramatic as it would be for most shows especially since I am sure they still plan on using the same human characters and their limited lifespans so maybe looking at ten or so years at most. The end game for the series remains the end of the Second Age, as shown at the very beginning of The Lord of the Rings trilogy with the defeat of Sauron.

The War Of The Rohirrim Hitting Digital On December 27

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:46:00 +0000

After a failed box office run of only two weeks, The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim will become available for rent or purchase on the various digital home streaming services (Prime Video, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, etc.) starting December 27.

The movie will remain in theaters for probably a few more weeks but if you wanted to see the film and going to a theater was too much trouble, now you can. The $30 million production so far has a worldwide box office total of $15.5 million and unlikely to crack $20 million. Not really sure what killed the film but best guess is interest in Middle-Earth's past in animation style just doesn't interest the masses.

The commercial failure is unlikely to have any impact on The Hunt For Gollum since it will be using more famous Middle-Earth characters but chances are whatever further animation plans that may have been in the works have been tossed.

War Of The Rohirrim Physical Copies of Soundtrack Available for Pre-Order

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 08:47:00 +0000

Physical copies of The Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim Soundtrack by Stephen Gallagher is now available to pre-order on Made By Mutant or Amazon. The soundtrack is also available on music streaming services now. The vinyl 4 LP edition ($~60) is currently showing a release date of March 7, 2025 while the 2 CD set (~$20) may come out that day or a week earlier on February 28, 2025. Below is one of the tracks from the soundtrack.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Music by Stephen Gallagher. Featuring the original song "The Rider," performed by Paris Paloma. Pressed on 4x 140gm Vinyl, housed in an M-Pack (double gatefold) style jacket. Also available on 2x CD, housed in a 6-panel digipak with a 24-page booklet. Featuring liner notes by Producer/Writer Philippa Boyens, Director Kenji Kamiyama, and Composer Stephen Gallagher Mutant, in partnership with WaterTower Music, is proud to present the premiere physical release of Stephen Gallagher's original score to the animated epic The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, in theaters December 13.

Reviews for The War of the Rohirrim

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 06:49:00 +0000

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is coming out this Friday. Critics had a chance to see the movie and the results are up the middle with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 65%. Way I would describe the reviews is they (unfairly) are comparing it to the high bar of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and not on its own merits. What they seem to describe is an entertaining movie that occasionally gets slow (so did the tirlogy), great visuals, good voice acting, great music, and story that if not part of this franchise would probably be getting higher scores.

Here are a few samples from various reviews.

"The War of the Rohirrim has a dynamite, exciting, and sweeping first act as well as a jaw-dropping, awesome third act. It’s a massive story and so, so much happens in it you frankly can’t believe they were able to stuff it all into one movie. The problem, however, is the middle of the film where things drag considerably. When Hera and the Rohan find themselves stuck in Helm’s Deep, the film slows down to a screeching halt. In a way, that change of pace mirrors the story of the film, but even so, it can be a major slog. Thankfully, when it picks up again, the finale more or less makes up for it." - Gizmodo

"Although not hitting us emotionally on the scale of the live-action films, Kamiyama has produced a visual landscape that at times, through use of motion capture, models and hand-drawn animation, do register a striking visual motif, not what we have previously associated with the cinematic efforts at Tolkien, but a world of its own merged with more allegiance to Jackson than J.R.R. The question is will fans buy it?" - Deadline

"The character drama compels here as much as in the live-action films. This is largely due to Kamiyama’s shrewd storytelling sense and how he stages large action scenes against emotional powerhouse moments. A word of praise for the animation team: how beautifully these artists stage the sweeping vistas of Middle-earth!" - The One Ring

"...the elephant in the room, in part because there’s an elephant involved (it sneaks up on Héra like a slasher villain — it’s hilarious), is the animation quality. The first shot of “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is of an unconvincing CGI landscape while an eagle with a surprisingly low frame-rate soars in the foreground. ...The characters are generic, but the main ones get the job done. ...Still, one has to admit that “The War of the Rohirrim” wears you down after a while. The experience is not unlike watching a community theater production of a Shakespeare tragedy. After you get used to the low production values and wonky performances, you can’t help but get a little swept up in it. By the time the climax rolls around you’re actually invested. Unfortunately, by the time the credits roll, they’ve already lost you again." - The Wrap

"It's equally as surprising, then, that this curio is more of a mixed bag than an outright disaster or an unqualified masterpiece. Instead, it's stuck in an awkward liminal space between extremes. "The War of the Rohirrim" is a dazzling feast for the eyes, delivering stunning visuals like nothing we've ever seen in "The Lord of the Rings" before. The new characters all make instant impressions and undergo satisfying arcs, caught up in an interfamily drama worthy of any Shakespearean tragedy. And as soon as the first violin strings of Howard Shore's distinctive Rohan theme kick in, it's as if no time at all has passed since we last visited the rolling plains of the horse-lords. Yet, for everything this venture has going for it, "The War of the Rohirrim" is too small-scale to feel properly epic. It never escapes the sinking realization that none of this becomes as visceral, essential, or event-sized as the previous movies." - Slashfilm

Viggo Mortensen Wanted for The Hunt for Gollum

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:06:00 +0000

It seems another The Lord of the Rings trilogy actor has a chance to return to Middle-Earth. Philippa Boyens, writer and producer on the upcoming film, tells The Playlist that they want Viggo Mortensen to return as Aragorn. Andy Serkis is returning to play Gollum and also direct the film. Wanting and getting are two different things however. From Boyens:

“Honestly, that’s entirely going to be up to Viggo, collaboratively and we are at a very early stage. I’ve spoken to Viggo, Andy [Serkis] has spoken to him, Peter [Jackson] has spoken to him, we’ve all spoken to each other and honestly, I cannot imagine anyone else playing Aragorn, but it will be completely and entirely up to Viggo.”

“I know Andy wants to work with him, but also, we don’t see this as like, using A.I. [technology], this is about a digital make-up, and whether Viggo does it or will entirely depends on how good the script is. And he doesn’t have a script yet. So to be fair to Viggo, let’s see if we write a good enough role and that he can find enough in it to see that it’s a performance he wants to take on. After that, it’ll be between Viggo and Andy of how that is achieved.”

“I suspect if he decides he doesn’t want to do it we would still want him to be heavily involved, like how do we hand this character off. But literally that decision is several, several months away. He’s got to read the script first and that’s exactly what I’m going to be working on when I get out of this interview [laughs].”

Based on the story as currently described, it would take place between the time Gandalf became suspicious of the ring, sending Frodo to Rivendell and placing it in an envelope for Frodo to keep. When Gandalf returned, he had Frodo throw it in the fireplace with words for the One Ring appearing. In the movie, no indication of time passing was really shown but in the books that time frame was actually 17 years. Most of the hunt was done by Gandalf, Aragorn and minions of Sauron who ultimately captured Gollum first.

The War of the Rohirrim Eight Minute Clip

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 11:20:00 +0000

Below is an eight minute clip from The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim that gives you a good feel for the look of the movie, few characters and story execution. The movie will hit theaters next Friday on December 13.

The War of the Rohirrim New Story Featurette

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 10:11:00 +0000

Here is a new video that briefly discusses the story of the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim with some new footage from the film and comments from Brian Cox and Gaia Wise.

New TV Spot for War of the Rohirrim

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 10:15:00 +0000

Here is a new TV spot for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim that will hit theaters on December 13.

The War of the Rohirrim First TV Spot

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 12:17:00 +0000

Here is the first TV spot for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim that is hitting theaters on December 13.

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Christopher Lee Voices Saruman in War of the Rohirrim

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 10:02:00 +0000

Turns out that not only does Saruman the White makes an appearance in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, but he will be voiced by the actor that played him in the movies - the late, great Christopher Lee. The news come from a video by TheOneRing.net with movie writer and producer Phillipa Boyens. The voice is not done with AI but using alternate takes from Lee saying the line "Are you in need of assistance, my Lady?” to Galadriel in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

New Poster for The War of the Rohirrim

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Here is the latest poster for The Lord of the Rings: The Lord of the Rohirrim that will hit theaters on December 13. Makes me wonder if a new trailer is coming soon.

Hunt for Gollum to Be One Film

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 10:59:00 +0000

For awhile now there was a rumor that The Hunt for Gollum film that is currently in pre-production with Andy Serkis directing would be two films. That was never officially confirmed. In an interview with Empire, Gollum writer Philippa Boyens verified it would be one movie saying "I can tell you definitively it isn’t two films! 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. We’re playing around with a number of ideas, but most of those ideas do include Gandalf. So Gandalf would potentially return for two live-action films.” She did not comment on what this other film could be.

NYCC: The War of Rohirrim Making of Tapestry BTS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 13:14:00 +0000

Here is a behind the scenes video from Warner Bros. that looks into the concept that went into creating the tapestry revealed during the New York Comic-Con this weekend. You can download the artwork and official gifs related to the movie here. Click the image below if want to see a bigger version of it. The movie will hit theaters on December 13.

Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim Poster

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 06:24:00 +0000

Not sure if this is a sign of a second trailer is coming but here is the official poster for "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" that is set to hit theaters on December 13. A synopsis of the film:

The film tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf (Luke Pasqualino), a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm (Brian Cox) and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg – a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep.

Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra (Gaia Wise), the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.

The Rings of Power Season 2 Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 07:50:00 +0000

Reminder that the first three episodes of season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are now available on Amazon Prime. The full season is 8 episodes with remaining five coming out each Thursday night EST for next five weeks. Below is a recap of season 1 to remind you of the key story beats.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Official Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 00:32:00 +0000

At long last here if the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim which will hit theaters on December 13. The animated movie acts as a sort of origin story for Helm's Deep. The synopsis says "Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg— a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction." The second video is a breakdown of the trailer. If interested there is also Japanese trailer that has other scenes not shown in the American one. The breakdown of it is here.

BTS of the Music for Rings of Power Season 2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 20:11:00 +0000

Here are three videos about the music created by Bear McCreary for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2. The first is an overview of the music, the second is Rufus Wainwright talking about the Tom Bombadil song he performs, and the last is a look at The Ballad of Damrod inspired by metal music.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 06:51:00 +0000

Amazon Prime has released the official trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 which will premiere on the streaming service on August 29. The 8 episode season will have a new episode drop each week on Thursday early mornings. If interested in a breakdown of the trailer, click here.

The Rings of Power BTS Video on Forging the Rings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 11:20:00 +0000

Here is another behind the scenes video for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2. This one focuses on the forging the rings with the elven ones and what looks likes a tease at the human ones. Concept artist from the Lord of the Rings trilogies and this series also discusses some of what may have influenced the creation of the One Ring.