While it previously seemed like The Lord of the Rings franchise may be slowing down if not entirely ceasing on the big screen, several recent announcements have proven that’s far from true—and now, another major name might be attached to one of the upcoming projects. There are currently multiple Lord of the Rings movies and shows in the works, including The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3, which is set to land on Prime Video on Nov. 11, as well as two movies, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past. Earlier this month, Peter Jackson himself confirmed that The Hunt for Gollum is currently well into production, and now, we may have gotten yet another massive update.
Specifically, Outlander actor Sam Heughan was just asked about the Lord of the Rings franchise at Wigtown Book Festival, and his answer has left fans curious about his possible involvement in the upcoming movie. While he hasn’t given any outright confirmation, he did just tease that he was recently in New Zealand—which would likely make this project The Hunt for Gollum, based on what we currently know—and because of that, his cryptic response about the franchise, and his personal connection to The Lord of the Rings, fans are now convinced that they will be seeing him in The Hunt for Gollum. Check out what he said below.
As captured in a video at Wigtown Book Festival, Heughan said, “I can’t give away too much,” but he added that The Lord of the Rings is “not exhausted” and that he “may have been in New Zealand recently.” Although he definitely played it cool, these comments do suggest that he could actually be in talks or perhaps has even already shot scenes for an upcoming Lord of the Rings project. Presumably, based on the timeline, and assuming that he was, in fact, just in New Zealand, this would be The Hunt for Gollum. Based on that possibility, many already have their guesses regarding who he could be playing.
Sam Heughan on The Hunt for Gollum https://t.co/KvB5c5OBs9 pic.twitter.com/EeVmIaxx3l
In response to an X post about his comments, for example, one X user wrote, “Arathorn flashback?” (to which the original poster replied, “Oh I like this idea…”), and another said, “PLEASE BE GLORFINDEL!!!” The latter idea was echoed by several other commenters as well. For now, it’s anyone’s guess who Heughan could be playing, especially because it’s still not officially confirmed that he is actually in an upcoming Lord of the Rings project. Even so, after some speculation from the fanbase already, it’s looking more and more likely that Heughan may truly be appearing in The Hunt for Gollum, and that would be absolutely perfect considering that he and his brother, Cirdan Heughan, were named after The Lord of the Rings characters, with Sam Heughan reportedly named after beloved character Samwise Gamgee himself.
Do you think Sam Heughan will be appearing in The Hunt for Gollum or some other Lord of the Rings project, and if so, who do you hope he plays? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
