By Mallory Mattingly
The Hobbits are moving! After a long run on Prime Video, HBO MAX picked up the THE LORD OF THE RINGS movie trilogy.
The original trilogy began in 2001 with THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. The second film, THE TWO TOWERS, was released in 2002, and the third installment, THE RETURN OF THE KING, debuted in 2004. In total, THE LORD OF THE RINGS franchise has won a total of 17 Oscars and secured multiple Movieguide® Awards.
“It’s a big honor to accept this award on behalf of the producing team,” Producer Barrie M. Osborne of LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING said at the Movieguide® Awards. “We had such a fabulous cast and such a spirited crew. We couldn’t have had more fun in making this movie. It’s one of the things you look forward to in choosing a movie. We were dedicated and we had passion. The results are up on the screen.”
The franchise returned to the big screen in 2012 with THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, which began the spinoff trilogy. THE HOBBIT “was followed by 2013’s THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG and 2014’s THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES,” per Comic Book Resource.
“It grossed $2.93 billion worldwide. The second trilogy brought back several iconic characters, including Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, and Andy Serkis. Among the newcomers included Sherlock‘s duo Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch as Bilbo Baggins and Smaug, respectively, but also Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, James Nesbitt, and Evangeline Lilly.”
Related: Andy Serkis Set to Star in, Direct New LORD OF THE RINGS Movie
Now the franchise is gearing up to release THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM.
“My role Gollum is a person who turned into evil after touching the ring,” Andy Serkis told Movieguide® of portraying Gollum. “My purpose ofthat role is not to scare the audience. I didn’t want to play him as a demonized person. irst, I wanted to inform people that every human has good and evil character in themselves. The second point I wanted to convey is that there is a redemption, and there is a redeemer. That was a point in my mind when I played the role.”
At the beginning of the month, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav spoke with IGN about how “great” a script they have for THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM.
“We’ve got a great script on Lord of the Rings with Peter Jackson that we’re moving forward on and we’ll be giving you more detail on that,” Zaslav said.
Likewise, Serkis spoke with IGN and revealed an update on the new film.
“We’re very early on in the process,” Serkis shared. “We’ve been talking about the film over the course of the last year. We’re about to start a period of prep in the next few months or so. We will be shooting in the early to mid-part of next year, I guess, and then it’ll be as long as it takes to shoot, which — it’s a sizable movie — all ready for a December 2027 release.
“I’m incredibly excited to go back and work with my friends and family in New Zealand and actually do something which is, I think, going to be surprising, and yet very much part of the lore and the feel of the trilogy,” he continued. “The sensibility of it will feel, I think, close to that, and yet we’re investigating in greater depth the character formerly known as Smeagol, but mostly known as Gollum.”
THE LORD OF THE RINGS film trilogy has found a new home with HBO Max. Additionally, THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM is almost ready to begin production for a December 2027 release date.
Read Next: LORD OF THE RINGS Star Drops Massive Hint About Return to Franchise
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +3Share:
– Content: +1