In a crossover that fans never would have expected, it seems that one DC villain in particular was a huge inspiration in the new Lord of the Rings film, The Hunt for Gollum. And, according to filmmaker Peter Jackson, it all revolves around a descent into madness—the kind required to take someone from a man named Smeagól and turn them into the creature that we all now know as Gollum.
Jackson recently appeared at the Cannes Film Festival, revealing to those there that Joker, which debuted in 2019 and starred Joaquin Phoenix, was a key inspiration to the film, which centers on Aragorn before he joins up with the fellowship and as he quests to find Gollum before he can reveal the One Ring’s location to Sauron. “We were thinking about the original Joker film, the one with Joaquin Phoenix. The way it explored the Joker’s psychology while telling a story. We’ve got the story that’s in the appendices, and we’ll tell that story, but we’ll tell it from an internal Gollum perspective,” he said, per Comic Book Movie.
That’s for actor Andy Serkis to figure out, says Jackson. “You’re taking written things by Tolkien and filming them from a certain POV, and that means you have to get inside his head. I’ve got no particular desire to get inside Gollum’s head. Andy Serkis can do that himself,” he elaborated. “I thought the film would be more interesting if Andy did it. I honestly, truly believe that if it’s a film about Gollum’s addiction and internal struggles, Andy would make a much more interesting film than me. If I thought I’d do a better film, I’d do it. But I thought, there’s a guy that’s going to make a really interesting film here and it’s not me.”
Fans are so far divided on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with some excited for any crumb of their favorite universe, and others convinced it’s going too far, “like butter spread across too much bread.” One fan said, “I’m not putting any hopes up, and I think it’s really not the point, but what they’re making seems to be born out of love, and if it’s better than we expect, that’s a bonus.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will release in theaters on December 17, 2027.
What are you most excited for when it comes to The Hunt for Gollum? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other Lord of the Rings fans are saying.
