The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will bring Middle-earth back to the big screen, but filmmaker Peter Jackson will not be at the helm. Instead, Andy Serkis (Venom: The Last Dance) is stepping behind the camera to helm this story set before The Fellowship of the Ring.
Serkis will also star, of course, and he's already assembled an impressive ensemble for this deep dive into Sméagol's past. Now, Jackson, who will serve as a producer, has revealed why he decided not to take charge of this next tale set in the world of The Lord of the Rings.
"I could have directed it, but I thought, I’ve done that," the filmmaker said at his Cannes Film Festival Rendez-Vous today (via Deadline). "It would be more interesting with this particular story, which takes place between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, if Andy Serkis directed it."
Teasing what fans can expect from Gollum's return, Jackson added, "It’s an internal story about Gollum’s psychology and addiction. It’s a personal story to Gollum. Andy knows this guy better than anybody. I didn’t think about myself. The more exciting version of this movie is if Andy Serkis made it."
"I’m leaving it to him. I’m here to help where I can. But I don’t interfere. I’ve given him as much freedom as I can," he added, before dropping some hints about what's next for him (Jackson has only helmed a couple of documentaries since 2014's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies).
"I’ve been working with Fran on a new Tintin script," he said, revealing that he'd even been penning it during his time in Cannes. "The deal was Steven [Spielberg] directs one, and I direct another," Jackson added.
The Adventures of Tintin was released in 2011 and grossed $374 million worldwide. Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish penned the screenplay, while the cast included Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, and Daniel Craig.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum stars Andy Serkis as Smeagol/Gollum, Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Lee Pace as Thranduil, Jamie Dornan as Strider, a.k.a. Aragorn, Leo Woodall as Halvard, and Kate Winslet as Marigol.
The story delves into Gollum's past, back in a time when he was known as a young Stoorish lad called Sméagol.
Serkis will direct the movie. Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, who wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy, are penning the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson, meanwhile, is producing the project.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to be released in theaters on December 17, 2027.