Abstract

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is a film which is due to cover the events of Gollum's life, probably between the trilogies and through to the early parts of The Fellowship of the Ring. It is to be directed (and starred) by Andy Serkis, with Sir Peter Jackson producing and Philippa Byoens, Dame Frances Walsh, Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou writing the screenplay.
Set for release in late 2026 (although a delay to mid 2027 is a distinct possibility), it will be the eighth film in the New Line-produced film series, after this year's The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and is thus unrelated neither to Amazon's show nor to the notorious video game on the same subject. The film focuses on a puzzling but nonetheless intriguing premise, and may entail appearances from some actors from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Update section (as of June 2024)

TBD

The Story

Exactly what the story of The Hunt for Gollum is supposed to cover is not entirely clear: it could cover Aragorn's literal hunt for Gollum across the borders of Mordor, culminating in the capture of the creature on the Dead Marshes, interrogation by Gandalf, and incarceration in the Woodland Realm and subsequent escape during an Orc attack, ending with his becoming stuck inside the Mines of Moria. This would make the film less of a traditional prequel, being that these events take place during the time of Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring, largely between the 32 and 36 minute mark (the film is explicitly meant to be continuous with the previous live-action films).
However, the title is merely a tentative working title and needn't be taken as too concrete an indication as to the exact contents of the film. Recent comments by Boyens, Jackson and Serkis seem to imply a larger scope, possibly as far back as Gollum's first emergence from the Misty Mountains in an attempt to track Bilbo, turning the film into a "bridge" between the trilogies, of a kind that we see more often nowdays in other media series. After arriving at Dale, a hunt after the creature is in fact already initiated by the Wood Elves, but he reaches the Anduin and eventually winds-up in Mordor. These events are ednumbered in The Lord of the Rings under the chapters "A Shadow of the Past", "The Council of Elrond", "The Dead Marshes", "Shelob's Lair" and Appendix B, rounding up some ten pages.
The unruined city of Dale, one of the biggest sets built for either trilogy, could feature in The Hunt for Gollum
Admittedly its hardly the most intriguing concept for a film based on Tolkien's works, but such an expanded premise could doubtlessly utilize Jackson's penchant for non-linear storytelling, perhaps using Aragorn's capture of Gollum and his interrogation by Gandalf as a framing device for the telling of Gollum's earlier adventures, which otherwise take place with no companion with which to run dialogue scenes. This premise also promises far more from a visual standpoint: rather than merely reprising the Dead Marshes or Cirith Ungol, one could see the Woodsmen of Mirkwood, as well as the Woodland Realm, Esgaroth and Dale in better days.
In Tolkien's unabridged chronology, these wanderings extend over multiple decades, allowing for the story of Aragorn's youthful adventures - in Gondor, Rohan and Harad - to ensue in the middle of it all, although unless the film is indeed a two-entry project, it seems unlikely for Jackson to cover both characters' detailed backstories. At the very least, it could reasonably be expected of Jackson to obscure or contract (as he had done in The Fellowship of the Ring and the Dol Guldur storyline of The Hobbit) the timeframe somewhat.
Another potential sideplot could include the downfall of Balin's colony in Moria, precisely because Gollum ends-up stuck behind the closed Western Door of those mines, with the Balin, Ori and Oin long vanquished. Jackson and Boyens previously considred using such a prequel to show Saruman looking for the Ring and falling under Sauron's spell, and while Saruman is almost sure to appear in the animated The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim, the death of actor Sir Christopher Lee might make his return to the live-action Hunt for Gollum probelmatic.
Frankly, cutting out the the latter storyline might help keep The Hunt for Gollum from "spelling out" too much of the goings-on between the trilogy. This exact kind of interstitial spinoffs set between the two Star Wars trilogies (Solo, Obi Wan, Andor and Rogue One) have done this to a rather demystifying effect, and so keeping some events untold might actually enhance the feeling that sixty eventful years have indeed passed between the trilogies, rather than distiling the events of those sixty years to a film that's bound to feel like it transpires over a more finite amount of time.
While both film series have been criticised for focusing on a concentrated, "limited" timeframe within the context of a vast fictional history, I think Jackson's desire to present a series of films that are tightly-woven together with the same characters, settings and overall conflict running through all of them. Indeed, by the time Jackson completes his second contracted film for New Line, he and Boyens will have had produced an unprecedented nine films of some 26 hours of cinema or more, cementing their already-entrenched vision of Middle-earth. Jackson had spoken before, not unjustly, of gaining a great degree of "sentimental attachment, a kind of ownership to the Middle-earth that's been put on the screen."
It may also help in reducing the risk of the film at "spoiling" the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy for newcomers, something Jackson had expressed some awareness to with The Hobbit. Gollum's latter-day wanderins take him to the Dead Marshes, Cirith Ungol (where he encounters Shelob), Barad Dur and Moria and these could reduce the impact those places have on the screen in The Lord of the Rings for newcomers after 2026. Exactly how Aragorn could maintain his mystique in the Prancing Pony (admittedly a "card" that the films don't play nearly as long as the book) or the menace of the unseen figure of Gollum, I have no idea.
For the same reason, I would argue against the fan-favourite idea of a framing device, by which an elderly Aragorn relates his sojourn with Gollum. Such a device will not only feel overplayed alongside the framing devices of An Unexpected Journey and The War of the Rohirrim but also "spoil" the outcome of The Lord of the Rings in terms of Aragorn's fate for newcomers.
The "bridge" function of the film can help make the viewing experience of the series a more balanced experience: I've written about how the six films form a coherent narrative structure, but having said that, the midpoint ("One Ring to Rule Them All") comes in a touch early: a 2 to 2.5 hour film could redress that.
The narrative structure of the six films at the present: inserting The Hunt for Gollum before the midpoint could bring it closer to the actual middle of the piece

The Cast

Beside Andy Serkis also reprising his motion-capture role of Gollum (which he also performed recently for his Tolkien audiobooks), its unclear what characters and actors the film will involve: as producers, Jackson, Walsh and Boyens are sure to influence the casting process, as they had for The Hobbit back when it was still a Guillermo del Toro-helmed film, and as Boyens seemed to have done with The War of the Rohirrim, whose cast includes Brian Cox and Serkis' wife, Lorraine Ashbourne. A couple of regulars, like Jed Brophy (who also appeared in The Rings of Power Season One) are almost certain to appear. A cameo for Jackson may also be reasonably expected, and perhaps for Royd Tolkien, as well.
Gandalf is said to appear in the film, with the venerable but active Sir Ian McKellen expressing interest in reappearing in the role. In 2006, Jackson had said he has no interest in making a film with "a Gandalf who wasn't Ian McKellen for instance." Presumably, they could accomodate McKellen by shooting his scenes in the UK, as they had done previously with Sir Ian Holm and an even more-venerable Sir Christopher Lee.
Viggo Mortensen, who was previously considered for a return in his role of Aragorn to The Hobbit and declined an early availability check, had also expressed some willingness to return to the role. Although he predicated such a return on being "right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now", which would seem to negate the possibility of digitally de-aging the actor, it must surely be left to Jackson's fabled skills of persuasion: admittedly, Jackson and Mortensen had spoken as late as October 2022, but that was seemingly before any plans for The Hunt for Gollum ripened. Ironically, the return of both McKellen and Mortensen was joked about before, in Stephen Colbert's Darrylgorn spoof.
Certainly, Jackson and Serkis - special effects mavericks that they are - will be unlikely to shirk from using digital deaging, a popular technique used by other major film series, especially since the film is due to involve copious amounts of motion-capture anyway. Focusing the story on Gollums' earlier misadventures, in which Aragorn and Gandalf do not feature, could keep the issue at bay to some extent.
The Tolkien series by 2026: The Hunt for Gollum poster is, of course, fan-made
Jackson had also spoken a couple of times before of trying to get Liv Tyler's Arwen to appear in the last Hobbit entry alongside Mortensen. Orlando Bloom, who had reprised his role as Legolas for The Hobbit, conspiciously liked Serkis' social media notices on helming the film: With Legolas' teaming-up with Argorn set-up in the close of The Battle of the Five Armies, and him playing a role in the battle in which Gollum escapes the Woodland Realm, his reappearance is also not unlikely.
Other characters from the Woodland Realm like Lee Pace's Thranduil could also feature. Jackson and Boyens had previously expressed desire to further explore the fate of their original character, Tauriel, but the recent announcement of retirement by actress Evangeline Lilly may or may not confound this: Lilly was also effectivelly retired when Jackson first cast her in that role. If Dale is reappear, so could Bard and perhaps some of the Dwarves.

The Crew

The film is to be directed by Andy Serkis, who had directed a recent adaptation of The Jungle Book, after having started directing with the second unit on The Return of the King and The Hobbit. He is slated to appear this week in a panel for The War of the Rohirrim.
Serkis was picked by Jackson, who wrote and directed all six previous films and will produce this film along with partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Judging by previous producer outings by Jackson et al (District 9, Tintin, Mortal Engines and The Hobbit prior to del Toro's exit) they are sure to allow Serkis the needed latitude in terms of designing, shooting and editing the film, although as mentioned its likely they'll involve themselves with casting some of the roles.
As before, Walsh and Boyens will also be writing the screenplay along with the scribes of the Boyens-produced The War of the Rohirrim, Arty Papageorgiou and Philippa's daughter Phoebe Gittins. Jackson is not credited as a co-writer, but being that he lives with Walsh, and opposite the lawn from Boyens, its certain he will have an important part in shaping the story.
Since Jackson lives with Walsh (in the house to the right) and across from Boyens (house immediately left of theirs), he's sure to be intimately involved with the shaping of the story
Serkis is also credited as executive producer along with Jonathan Cavendish, who together run the UK studio Imaginarium. Also attached as executive producer is Jackson's agent and The Hobbit executive Ken Kamins. They're unlikely to run into trouble with New Line Cinema, which is currently being run by Pam Abdy, Michael de Luca (who worked on The Lord of the Rings) and Alan Horn, who worked on The Hobbit. Amazon/MGM and the Tolkien Estate are not involved, ensuring no issues in terms of the rights.
Although New Line had approached Jackson, the idea for the film was his own. In fact, Jackson was disappointed that the story of the hunt for Gollum could not be included in The Fellowship of the Ring, and already in 1998 had expressed a desire to film it - at that stage, as additional footage to be spliced into the trilogy. By 2002, these plans turned into a "Lord of the Rings prequel" which was in active development until 2007, and that Jackson and Boyens continued to talk about as late as the director's commentary to The Battle of the Five Armies in 2015.
This film is entirely unrelated to the 2009 fan-film of the same title, now back on YouTube; nor to Daedalic's video-game nadir, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, or to Amazon Prime's controversial show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in spite of possible cross-over in the crew. Philippa even admitted to avoiding the show as to not become influenced by it. If anything, news of The Hunt for Gollum, pre-empting the release of the teaser for the show's second season, seem to have dampered the hype for the show, especially given the show's move from New Zealand to the UK and New Line Cinema's forthright resolve to "stop Amazon from blurring the lines" between their show and the films.
Jackson is contracted for a second film: although a recent Deadline piece makes it seem like The Hunt for Gollum will itself be two films, this is unlikely and is not the impression given in previous press releases and interview. If the second film is indeed unrelated to The Hunt for Gollum, its likely Jackson hadn't given it too much thought, but a likely candidate could be The War in the North: Like the Hunt for Gollum, it is a subject Jackson had given some thought to and spoke of his interest in dramatising. Other future films may earn a more peripheral involvement from Jackson or Boyens, but are almost certain to still shoot in their homeland of New Zealand and utilize their facilities and firms.
Concept art for The War in the North, circa 2014.
New Line had ambitiously announced the film for 2026, surely towards the end of the year in what's become a series tradition, although in the latest Variety piece its merely "being eyed for a 2026", and so a slight delay (like those of The Battle of the Five Armies and The War of the Rohirrim) may be in store. Still, if it is indeed a single-film production, a late 2026 release is perfectly concievable, especially as this story is of smaller cope than either The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit.
The Hunt for Gollum is returning not just to New Zealand but Jackson's and Boyens' hometown of Wellington, and will be produced using his companies and facilities: Stone Street Studios (filming studio), WingNut Films (production company), Six-Foot-Seven (art direction company), Weta Workshop (hand-props and creatures), WetaFX (special effects) and Park-Road Post (editing and sound). The Rings of Power, The War of the Rohirrim, the Darrylgorn spoof and the "Beyond the Door" project in the Hobbiton set had all provided more Tolkien-themed work for many of these firms in the interim.
Otherwise, its unknown who the staff of the film might include. Jackson is almost sure to call upon the services of concept artist John Howe (currently engaged with The Rings of Power but almost sure to make time for Jackson) and Alan Lee, who had recently provided work for The War of the Rohirrim. He also has access to a large number of existing and unused pieces of art by Lee, Howe and Weta that can be of use here, a practice already utilized for The War of the Rohirrim.
Jackson had maintained a partnership with the co-editor of The Two Towers, Jabez Olssen, who edited all of Jackson's subsequent films including his recent documentaries. Serkis has a relationship with director of photography Robert Richardson, suggesting a possible candidate for the lensing of the film.
Although Howard Shore could concievably return to score the picture, which is set to feature characters he depicted in music previously like Gollum, Gandalf and probably Strider, the film could also be scored by one of the Kiwi composers who contributed to his scores: Stephen Gallagher (currently composing the score to The War of the Rohirrim) or the Plan 9 ensemble together with David Long. Even in such a case, Shore could concievably contribute themes, and his existing themes could be used at the discretion of the filmmakers.
Thanks to Jackson's involvement, one can also hope for extensive behind-the-scenes, including pre-emptive video production diaries, as had been the custom on all his live-action productions.

Hello everyone!
I am currently playing the Sims 2 after not playing it for a couple of months. I decided to play the Strangetown neighborhood (cuz it’s the 2nd most iconic neighborhood in the sims 2 other than Plesantview….imo) so here is some context on what’s currently going on in my gameplay:
-Ophelia got married to Johnny Smith and no he’s living with the Spector household despite Olive’s opinions on them getting hitched
-I created a sim name Amanda Bond (no she’s not James Bond inspired) and she is living with the Spector household.
-Nervous Subject was currently living(or should I say kidnapped) with the Beaker family but both Circe and Loki along with Loki’s mistress all died from starvation thanks to a group of sims (that I created and put in the Beaker Household) that were helping Nervous escaped from the Beakers.
-Nervous reunited with his mother Olive Spector, but the two don’t have a relationship and also, it doesn’t say that Nervous and Ophelia are family since that would make them cousins.
-Olive Spector unexpectedly died from drinking the Elixir of Life as she aged herself up…surprisingly no one in the household was sad about it.
-Ophelia and Johnny are expecting their alien baby(I might need names for their baby if you want add in the comment section)
-The household adopted a kitten name Bonkers
-I’m trying to get Nervous and Amanda together but will see….
-and lastly, nervous decided to resurrect Olive, but with the amount of money he paid the grim reaper…olive was resurrected to a zombie
And that’s the gameplay so far but I’ll update everyone on what’s going with the household. Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful day!
(PLEASE BE NICE IN THE COMMENTS THANK YOU!!!)

My little one wanted blue hair. She picked the color... Artic Fox brand Blue Jean Baby. We bleached it and put a level 10 toner. Then left the blue dye on for 30 minutes. After rinsing it looks like this, not what we were expecting. She likes it but would like to get it more vibrant. Is there anything I can do?

Boogaloo club Zagreb hosted the Eurosong Greatest Hits show on July 8th. Seeing, as nobody did a review as of know, I'll write one myself, and please feel free to add your own opinions, pictures, videos, etc. in the comments below.
I won't add a setlist since you can find it in the post here - https://www.reddit.com/eurovision/comments/1dbpb3f/eurosong_zagreb_8624_setlist_need_help_filling_in/
The event was organised by Unity of Colors, and the event page is Eurosong.Cro (https://www.instagram.com/eurosong.cro). They'll probably have better quality videos there since I can only add one here.
The show itself was planned before Dora even took place, so it should've been a niche, little, fan-event in a smaller space. However, we all know how ESC exploded in Croatia after BL got in, so they changed it to a bigger venue. The price remained the same, 35.70€ which was a real bargain for a 3 hour show we got, plus an after party in the club for all those that wished to stay. I presume that many local performers decreased their fees or performed pro-bono for such an event to happen, but that is my speculation, so please don't take it as a fact.
The show lasted for 3 hours with a lot of performers and many ESC hits, and I'll try to do an objective write up.
Emmelie de Forest opened the show which was surprising. I was expecting to see her much later in the show. I would've loved if she opened with a ESC classic instead of her own song simply because the crowd would have a chance to warm up. She then performed Eres Tu, after which she asked should she perform in heels or barefooted. It was obvious what the crowd wanted, but she forbade us to take pictures of her feet because she didn't paint her toenails (Lena would be disappointed), and the reason why that's important is that when she had rehearsals in Malmo in 2013 she slammed her toe into a metal fence and her toe has been fucked up ever since. She actually forgot a part of the lyrics for the first time because she was taken aback by how the crowd sang Only Teardrops with her, and knew the lyrics. I feel that there were some problems with the sound in the beginning, so it's a shame that Emmelie went first, but all in all, a fun performance and a good start.
https://preview.redd.it/w30pyu5xok5d1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4cc6c57d21ed72779ccbe67a77448d9ab47afd0
After her another ESC winner with almost an identical name took the stage, this time Emilija Kokić that won in 1989 with Riva. The win was under Yugoslavia, but it's a Croatian bend, and they won the Yu competition for a Croatian broadcaster so we're counting it as a win for us, however, we're still waiting for a first one since gaining independence. Emilija is a seasoned veteran and did her job with ease. She sang Euphoria because she could choose, also My Number One, Hajde Da Ludujemo (Croatia as part of Yugoslavia 1990) and finished with Rock Me for which she won. She was great, but I'm surprised that the two winners we had this evening were the opening acts. I would've definitely put them later in the show, but they did heat up the atmosphere from the start.
https://preview.redd.it/atu4syb2pk5d1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41509bb7605012adbf0cf368d66a378de00efd11
Albina and Eugen followed with their ESC/Dora songs, and some ESC classics. Both did a good job.
https://preview.redd.it/idks3jgdsk5d1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02591585c1b24245c19297238c5df0f2ccd556a9
Celestia and Marko Bošnjak (Dora 2022) were hosts. They were fun, relaxed, and did a good job, and both did a few songs. Celestia did a medley of a few Croatian ESC songs, while Marko performed Moli Za Nas, his Dora 2022 song, Dancing Lasha Tumbai and Lejla. They were followed by Domenica and Indigo, her Dora 2019 song.
After a domestic break, another heavy hitter took the stage. Efendi of course did Cleopatra and Mata Hari, and by hearing them live, it's evident that Cleopatra was the superior ESC entry. I felt kind of stupid by asking myself which ESC song she would perform, as there was any doubt in that she would perform Running Scared, the winning song for Azerbaijan 2011. She was fire on stage, were likeable, and the crowd loved her.
https://preview.redd.it/qr65y4vbsk5d1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=40fdf9647c40eda2bb3f44ad0cbc7bece408531b
Jorge Gonzalez came next and communicated with the crowd in Spanish. Now, Croatian don't speak Spanish, but we have seen enough telenovelas that we understand enough to communicate with Jorge. He was energetic, he sang dance, did his new single, and Caliente, but amazingly, also performed Soldi.
https://preview.redd.it/tbh0tws9sk5d1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b09b18bd0c20e7eae14585a77aaab67cda2fe7be
Now we had a break with Devin Juraj and Lara Demarin. Lara did her Dora 2024 debut song, Arcade, Waterloo (with backup singers) and Wild Dance. She was full of energy, and the crowd loved her, but she was kind of overshadowed by Devin.
https://preview.redd.it/4mxa8w97sk5d1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=891306b7908eb74991b2ac08923f7d5728bd013a
Now, Devin is a cabaret dancer, and is known for being a dancer for Albina in ESC 2021, so I wasn't expecting much, and I must say that I think he needs to be arrested, because Devin stole the entire fucking show. Since he took the stage with his Adam Lambert-like look (Lambert from some 10+ years ago), he was in command. He opened with Llámame and showed that he can dance, followed by Cha Cha Cha. Now, if there was any doubt that Croatia doesn't love Kaarija and that there was any animosity because of the Kaarija-BL comparisons, they were dispelled as soon as he started. The crowd went batshit insane, even singing the song outside of screaming Cha Cha Cha. After the song we even had a bra hitting the stage which was fitting since he turned the show into his own personal metal/rock concert. He followed up with his author song Can't Leave You (I think that was the name) which wasn't a pop song, but nu-metalesque performance that started with a growl. He hammered his show home with Zitti e Buoni. If BL wasn't coming later, there is no doubt in my mind that his performance would be a high point of the evening.
https://preview.redd.it/9b99xwu3sk5d1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9f008761b0024ae992b586e73a748839719e5d5
Then came Jovanka Broz Titutka who is most known as being a part of Let 3's Mama Šč video. She came on and said she's not doing Mama Šč, no way. She didn't do any ESC songs which I found disrespectful to the crowd that came for the ESC, and not her. She did her own songs for which I don't feel that they belonged on that stage. I have nothing against drag, but I really didn't find it appropriate her on he back with her legs spread in the air singing "Who'll be fucking me" when the entire first row was filled with what to me seemed like 12 year old kids. There is a place for everything, and if I wanted that kind of show, I'd go see it. This for me was the low point of the show.
She was followed by drag queens from House of Flamingo who did a dance on Loco Loco which was great. They looked fabulous, so there worth checking out for sure. I would've preferred if they also sang, but it was great either way.
Alessandra was supposed to be one of the highlights of the show, but she only performed Queen of Kings without even trying to hit the high note, and then she left the stage. It was a solid performance, but I was really disappointed with only one song.
Marcela showed us she knows how to sing. She did Gasoline and her new single. If she keeps making music like this, she'll definitely have a chance to go to ESC herself.
https://preview.redd.it/q8zkhdqvrk5d1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b77b83c5251dddf0c326f615922362cdb753bf2
In the end we all wanted to see Baby Lasagna. He entered after the ESC postcard and a prolonged intro. The crowd exploded and he didn't even need to sing, we all knew the lyrics. We asked for an encore and he did RTTD again. It was a great performance, but I think a lot of us wanted to hear IG Boi, DHYBDLYTM, or some other new song.
https://reddit.com/link/1dby7as/video/qoisbg23rk5d1/player
All in all, it was a great evening, and an amazing show. Hopefully we get an even bigger one next year. We might not be able to host ESC 2025, but this we'll be the next best thing. Kudos to the organisers, everything was amazing, and any criticism should be taken as constructive.
See you next year, Meow Meow.