New Lord of the Rings movie set to bring back OG trilogy icon

Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will take audiences back to Middle-earth on the big screen – and (at least) one star from the original trilogy has been asked to return.

In 2003, Peter Jackson closed his LOTR trilogy with Return of the King. Over 21 years later, the franchise has expanded: we had The Hobbit films in the 2010s (the less said about them, the better), Amazon’s divisive Rings of Power TV show, and the War of the Rohirrim anime movie will hit cinemas this Christmas.

While he won’t be directing it, Jackson is a producer on The Hunt for Gollum, a new live-action movie helmed by Andy Serkis. Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, co-writers of the original trilogy, have also returned.

It’s not been confirmed, but given the title, we can expect the movie to follow Gollum’s experiences with Sauron in Mordor, before attempting to make his way to the Shire. As per Tolkien’s appendices, Gandalf sends Aragorn on a mission to find him. It’s sort of a prequel (strictly speaking, most of it could unfold between Gandalf giving Frodo the One Ring and returning to the Shire).

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So, will Ian McKellen return as Gandalf? While we don’t have a concrete yes or no, he’s certainly been asked – and he seems keen to reprise his beloved role.

Speaking to The Big Issue, he said: “Enthusiasm for Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating… I can’t tell you any more than that. I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him.

“When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So, they better be quick.”

If McKellen comes back as Gandalf, it raises questions about Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. The star would likely be de-aged, or the film could recast the character.

Mortensen addressed the possibility of returning as Gondor and Arnor’s king in an interview with GQ. “I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. I enjoyed it a lot,” he said.

However, it appears he may have already ruled out a de-aged reprisal. “I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth. I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise,” he added.

If you’ve been watching the TV show, check out our recaps of Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3. You can also read our guides on Morgoth’s origin, Forodwaith, and Círdan the Shipwright.