Setting up the timeline for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum has been confirmed, but this is much more complicated after a major change Peter Jackson made to his film trilogy. While Jackson Lord of the Rings films are often celebrated as faithful adaptations, he was not innocent of changing the canon. The director made adjustments that allowed Tolkien’s beloved story to work on screen, and for the most part, there were minimal consequences. However, there could be more problems now that Jackson and New Line Cinema are expanding the franchise.
The Hunt for Gollum was confirmed in early 2024 and is one of two Lord of the Rings films currently in the works at Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema. Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Jackson’s films, including the Hobbit trilogy, will return to reprise his role and also direct. Jackson is also attached to the project, this time as executive producer. All this news makes the upcoming film even more exciting, as these companies and minds made Jackson Lord of the Rings such exceptional films. However, The film’s place in the timeline can be a little complicated.
Hunt for Gollum takes place after Bilbo’s birthday but before Moria
Screenwriter Philippa Boyens confirmed the story’s setting in the LOTR timeline
Screenwriter Philippa Boyens is another well-known name working on Gollum Hunt as she was among the writers of Jackson’s original Lord of the Rings trilogy. Boyens has nothing but praise for the new project. She said it would be”a very intense story,” set during “a specific piece of an incredible untold story.”
More specifically, Boyens revealed that Gollum Hunt would take place after Bilbo’s 111th birthday, but before the Fellowship of the Ring’s adventure in Moria. This makes sense considering the Tolkien story this film will adapt. However, it is a little more complicated considering the change Jackson has made up to this point in the timeline in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Peter Jackson condensed this point in the timeline in his LOTR films
Decades were turned into weeks
The title Gollum Hunt refers to a time when Gandalf instructed Aragorn to pursue and capture Gollum, who the Dark Lord Sauron was also seeking. It’s a pretty intense moment for the creature, as he wants nothing more than to retrieve his precious Ring while he himself is being hunted. Gandalf told Frodo all about this in the Fellowship of the Ring book, but this moment was cut from Jackson’s film adaptation. The reason for this is that the director has significantly condensed the timeline for this installment.
Since Jackson’s previous films have shortened this timeline, Hunt for Gollum will have to choose between conforming to this shortened period or returning to the canonical version of the story.
In Jackson Fellowship of the Ring film, the gap between Bilbo’s birthday and Frodo’s departure from the Shire was a matter of weeks. However, in Tolkien’s book, Frodo only left with the One Ring two decades after Bilbo’s memorable feast. During these decades, Gollum was hunted, captured, and held prisoner not only by Aragorn and the Elves of Mirkwood, but also by Sauron and the forces of Mordor. Since Jackson’s previous films shortened this timeline, Gollum Hunt will have to choose between conforming to this reduced period or returning to the canonical version of the story.
Other Ways Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Changes Will Impact Gollum’s Prequel Film
Gollum will approach Sauron
This is not the only way in which the new Lord of the Rings the project will have to choose between the director/producer’s previous work and Tolkien’s canon. THE Lord of the Rings films have portrayed Sauron as a flaming eye atop the tower of Barad-dûr, and it is specifically said in the films that the Dark Lord cannot yet take form without his One Ring. This was not the case in Tolkien’s books. Sauron is in physical shape at the beginning of Fellowship of the Ringand this is important because Gollum is one of the few to see the Dark Lord in Tolkien’s trilogy.
If Serkis, Jackson and Boyens hope to make The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum faithful to Tolkien’s work, then both Sauron’s timeline and form will be restored. Of course, the new film could find a middle ground. The titular hunt for Gollum doesn’t necessarily have to last 20 yearsbut it would certainly take more than the few weeks that pass between Bilbo’s birthday and Gollum to find the Fellowship in Moria. Sauron’s canonical appearance may be restored in the next film, but the flaming eye may remain atop Barad-dûr. In the end, the answer may just be compromise.