• Peter Jackson says Todd Phillips’ Joker — specifically its deep dive into Arthur Fleck’s psychology — inspired the approach to The Hunt for Gollum
• The film, directed by Andy Serkis, is set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and follows Aragorn tracking Gollum on Gandalf’s orders
• Jackson is producing but deliberately stepped back from directing, believing Serkis knows the character better than anyone
• The story draws from the appendices of Tolkien’s novels, covering Gollum’s childhood, his addiction, and his eventual capture in Mordor
• The Hunt for Gollum hits theaters December 17, 2027

Peter Jackson has a pretty unexpected touchstone for his return to Middle-earth — and it involves Joaquin Phoenix in facepaint.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who is producing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, told IndieWire that Todd Phillips’ 2019 origin story Joker served as a key inspiration for the upcoming film — specifically the way it burrowed deep into a character’s fractured psychology while still telling a coherent story.

“We were thinking about the original Joker film, the one with Joaquin Phoenix,” Jackson said. “The way that explored the Joker’s psychology while it was 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. You’re taking written things by Tolkien and filming them from a certain POV, and that means you have to get inside his head.”

Then, with a laugh: “I’ve got no particular desire to get inside Gollum’s head. Andy Serkis can do that himself.”

What the Film Is Actually About

Set in the gap between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Hunt for Gollum follows Aragorn, tasked by Gandalf to track the creature down before Sauron can learn from him the location of the One Ring. But the film’s emotional core runs deeper than a chase story.

Jackson explained that the source material comes from the appendices tucked at the back of Tolkien’s novels — fifty or sixty pages of notes, backstory, and side narratives that never made it into the main text.

“The Lord of the Rings has got these big appendices at the end,” he said. “Little side stories, embellishments, enlargements — and part of The Hunt for Gollum is described in that. Gollum’s childhood and how he became what he was. Him trying to get to the Shire, and the Rangers tracking him down. He ends up being captured and taken to Mordor — it’s all in the appendices.”

The production is legally cleared to adapt anything from the Lord of the Rings books, Jackson confirmed — a meaningful distinction given the complicated rights landscape around Tolkien’s work. A second film, The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, co-written by Stephen Colbert, is also in the pipeline and will adapt unseen elements from The Fellowship of the Ring via flashback.

Why Jackson Handed the Camera to Serkis

After directing six films set in Middle-earth across the original Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, Jackson made the deliberate choice to step back from the director’s chair — and his reasoning is genuinely hard to argue with.

“I could have directed it, but I thought, ‘I’ve done that,'” he told Deadline at Cannes, where he received an honorary Palme d’Or earlier this week. “The more exciting version of this movie is if Andy Serkis made it.”

He expanded on that to IndieWire: “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.”

The logic is hard to dispute. Serkis has inhabited Gollum across multiple films, building a performance that became a landmark in motion-capture acting. He’s also an experienced director in his own right, having helmed Venom: Let There Be Carnage and an adaptation of Animal Farm. Jackson says he’s fully stepping aside — not hovering. “I’m here to help where I can. But I don’t interfere. I’ve given him as much freedom as I can.”

Serkis putting Gollum’s psychology on screen from the inside out, drawing on two decades of living with that character — if the Joker comparison holds, that’s a genuinely compelling proposition. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum opens December 17, 2027.

The post Peter Jackson Reveals Joker Inspired The Hunt for Gollum appeared first on Cream.

• Ian McKellen is reprising his role as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis
• McKellen joked at a London Q&A that even he was surprised more Middle-earth stories were being made
• He called Gandalf a rare kind of role — “a good man” — in contrast to the villains he often enjoys playing
• The film also brings back Elijah Wood and Lee Pace, with Jamie Dornan replacing Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
• The Hunt for Gollum is set for December 17, 2027

Ian McKellen is heading back to Middle-earth — and he’s the first to admit he didn’t quite see it coming. The legendary actor, who played Gandalf across all six of Peter Jackson’s live-action Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, confirmed his return in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum during a Q&A in London for his new film The Christophers. And he did it with the kind of dry wit you’d expect from a man who’s been playing wizards for over two decades.

“I’m going back to do more Gandalf,” McKellen told the audience, attended by GamesRadar+. “Who would have thought there was more? The person who thought there was more was Andy Serkis, and he’s going to be directing Gollum’s early life.”

It’s a cheeky line — but if anyone’s earned the right to be cheeky about Lord of the Rings, it’s McKellen.

Why Gandalf Means Something Different to McKellen

The comment came as part of a longer answer about what kinds of roles he’s drawn to at this stage in his career. McKellen’s response was honest, thoughtful, and a little unexpected. When asked whether he prioritizes one type of role over another, he said no — but then gave a window into exactly what excites him about the craft.

“It’s always nice to play the baddie, you know,” he said. “The devil has the best shoes. Only occasionally, you play a good man like Gandalf, but they don’t come along very often.”

He went on: “Am I looking for something in particular? No, I think I’m always looking for a script that will resonate beyond itself. It’s not just a simple story, not just an Agatha Christie… something more complicated that will make an audience, as I like to when I’m in the cinema or in the theater for a play, lean forward, gasp, laugh, a day to think about, talk about. I think, when I do, at this point, what I’m looking for is something that nobody else has ever done.”

For a man who’s about to reprise both Gandalf and Magneto — he’s also returning as the X-Men villain in Avengers: Doomsday — that tension between good and evil is clearly something he finds genuinely interesting, not just professionally convenient.

What The Hunt for Gollum Is Actually About

The film picks up in the years between Bilbo Baggins’ famous birthday party and the Fellowship’s ill-fated journey through the Mines of Moria — a stretch of untold story that screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have described as “quite an intense” period in the mythology. Gandalf and Aragorn are both searching for Gollum to uncover the truth about the One Ring, while Sauron’s forces close in behind them.

Serkis, who originated the role of Gollum and is now stepping behind the camera for the first time in this universe, will also reprise his motion-capture role. Walsh and Boyens are writing, with Peter Jackson producing alongside them and Zane Weiner. Ken Kamins will executive produce, along with Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish of The Imaginarium.

McKellen isn’t the only familiar face returning. Elijah Wood is back as Frodo Baggins, and Lee Pace returns as elven king Thranduil, a role he played in The Hobbit trilogy. The big casting shake-up is at the center of the story: Viggo Mortensen will not return as Aragorn. Instead, Jamie Dornan — best known for Fifty Shades of Grey and The Fall — steps into the role of Strider.

Serkis addressed the recasting carefully when asked about it recently. “I really, really don’t want to go into it right now because I do want to save that for further down the line,” he said. “We’re at a crunch stage now, we’re just about to start shooting. So, I’m going to save all discussion about casting, other than that, we are thrilled that Jamie’s doing it. We’re absolutely thrilled. And, by the way, so is Viggo.”

Shooting is set to take place in New Zealand, keeping the production anchored in the same landscapes that defined Jackson’s original trilogy. A second new film, The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past — co-written by Stephen Colbert — is also in development, though details on that project remain sparse and McKellen’s involvement hasn’t been confirmed.

McKellen mentioned at the Q&A that he has a play lined up for “when I come back from Middle-earth” — a production exploring his connection to King Lear. The man is, in every sense, not slowing down.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum arrives in theaters on December 17, 2027.

The post Ian McKellen on Returning as Gandalf: ‘A Good Man Like That Doesn’t Come Along Often’ appeared first on Cream.

• Peter Jackson explained at Cannes why Andy Serkis — not him — is directing The Hunt for Gollum
• Jackson says the film is about “Gollum’s psychology and addiction” and Serkis knows the character better than anyone
• Jackson also argued that AI fears in Hollywood are unfairly hurting Serkis’s chances of ever winning awards for the role
• Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, and Lee Pace are returning; Jamie Dornan replaces Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
• The Hunt for Gollum is set for December 17, 2027

Peter Jackson had a simple answer when asked why he wasn’t stepping behind the camera for Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. “I could have directed it,” he said at his Cannes Film Festival masterclass this week, “but I thought, I’ve done that.”

The three-time Oscar winner — who picked up an honorary Palme d’Or at the festival’s opening ceremony the night before — didn’t take long to land on the only person who made sense for the job. “Andy knows this guy better than anybody,” Jackson said. “I didn’t think about me. The more exciting version of this movie is if Andy Serkis made it.”

It’s hard to argue with that logic. Serkis has played Gollum across six Middle-earth films. He invented the character from the inside out — the physicality, the fractured psychology, the tragedy of a creature consumed by something he can’t let go of. Jackson is giving him the keys and stepping back. “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.”

The film itself, Jackson teased, is less an action-adventure and more of an intimate character study. “It’s an internal story about Gollum’s psychology and addiction,” he said. “It’s a personal story to Gollum.” Set in the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the story follows the hunt for the fallen hobbit — with Gandalf and Aragorn tracking him down to learn where the One Ring ended up, while Sauron’s forces pursue them in return.

The Cast Coming Back to Middle-earth

Ian McKellen is returning as Gandalf, and he’s been refreshingly candid about the whole thing. “I’m going back to do more Gandalf,” McKellen said at a recent Q&A. “Who would have thought there was more? The person who thought there was more was Andy Serkis, and he’s going to be directing Gollum’s early life.” Even the wizard didn’t see this one coming.

Elijah Wood is back as Frodo — he was the one who presented Jackson with his honorary Palme on Tuesday night, telling the audience: “You showed the world something it had never seen before, and nothing was ever the same. He helped build an entirely new filmmaking culture at the far edge of the world.” Lee Pace returns from The Hobbit trilogy as elven king Thranduil. The one notable absence: Viggo Mortensen won’t reprise Aragorn. Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan steps into the role instead.

Shooting is set to begin in New Zealand — naturally — ahead of the December 17, 2027 release date.

The Oscar Problem No One Wants to Talk About

Away from the new film, Jackson raised something that’s been quietly frustrating fans of Serkis for years: the fact that one of cinema’s most technically and emotionally demanding performances has never come close to awards recognition — and Jackson thinks the current AI panic is making it worse.

“A lot of the current environment, everyone’s so worried about AI,” he said. “I don’t think a Gollum-type character or a generated character has any hope for winning any awards. Which is a bit unfair, especially in the Andy Serkis case where it’s not an AI-generated performance, it’s a human-generated performance 100% of the way.”

Jackson’s own view on AI in film is more nuanced than the current discourse tends to allow. “I don’t dislike it at all,” he said. “To me, it’s just a special effect. It’s no different from other special effects.” The line he draws is clear though: consent and licensing matter. “If you’re doing an AI duplicate of somebody, like Indiana Jones or anyone else, as long as you’ve licensed the rights off the person who you’re showing, I don’t see the issue. It’s when people’s likenesses get stolen and usurped.”

But the blurring of AI-generated imagery and performance-capture work — two very different things — is doing real damage to how the industry values what Serkis does. Jackson clearly feels that, even if he’s characteristically measured about it.

A Legacy That Started Right Here at Cannes

There’s a neat circularity to Jackson receiving his honorary Palme at Cannes this year. Twenty-five years ago, it was Cannes where everything changed for him. New Line Cinema had bet over $270 million on three Lord of the Rings films simultaneously — a gamble widely mocked in the press as reckless, possibly catastrophic. Then Jackson screened 26 minutes of The Fellowship of the Ring footage on the Croisette in 2001, and the conversation shifted overnight.

Ian McKellen, writing in a blog at the time, put it simply: “With relief and some excitement I can report that Peter Jackson’s images not only look convincing, they look stunning.” Festival director Thierry Frémaux, announcing this year’s honorary Palme, said there is “clearly a before and an after Peter Jackson. Larger-than-life cinema is his trademark, and his all-encompassing art of entertainment is particularly ambitious. He has permanently transformed Hollywood cinema and its conception of the spectacle.”

Jackson recalled in his speech that the 2001 Cannes screening “changed the perception of the film” — and with it, the perception of what blockbuster filmmaking could be.

Now, a quarter-century later, he’s handing that world to someone else to expand. And if his instincts about Andy Serkis are right — and they usually are — Middle-earth might have its most personal story yet still to tell.

The post Why Peter Jackson Let Andy Serkis Direct Hunt for Gollum appeared first on Cream.

• Andy Serkis says he’s ready to play Voldemort in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series and is “waiting for the call”
• Serkis made the comments during a Happy Sad Confused interview with Josh Horowitz while promoting his Animal Farm film
• The role of Voldemort has not yet been cast — HBO’s first season is set to debut Christmas 2026
• Serkis acknowledged Ralph Fiennes’ iconic portrayal, calling it “big boots to follow”
• Separate rumors suggest HBO may be eyeing an MCU star for the Dark Lord role

Andy Serkis is not shy about which role he wants next. The Lord of the Rings legend — best known for bringing Gollum to life across six Middle-earth films — has made it clear he’d jump at the chance to play Voldemort in HBO’s highly anticipated Harry Potter reboot series. And after hearing his case, it’s hard to disagree with him.

During a recent sit-down with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Serkis was asked point-blank whether he’d ever considered stepping into He Who Must Not Be Named’s robes. He seemed briefly caught off guard — then gave exactly the kind of answer you’d hope for.

“Wow. Definitely [in]. I mean, yeah. I’m just waiting for the call, basically. That’s a cool one. Mind you, [Ralph Fiennes] leaves big boots to follow,” Serkis said.

When Horowitz pressed him on one of the role’s more notorious requirements — namely, the nose situation — Serkis didn’t flinch. It’s exactly the kind of commitment you’d want from someone who has spent decades disappearing entirely into characters.

And disappear he has. Between Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy, and Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel films, Serkis has built one of the most unique careers in modern cinema — a body of work defined by transformation, physicality, and the ability to make monstrous characters feel achingly human. Playing a noseless dark wizard who moves like something not quite of this world? That’s practically his home turf.

Why the Timing Actually Works

Here’s the thing about Voldemort in the new series: there’s no rush. The Dark Lord doesn’t fully appear in the flesh until the fourth book — meaning HBO wouldn’t need the role locked down until well into the show’s run. With the first season set to debut Christmas 2026 and a second season already in the scripting phase, the casting team has room to breathe.

That said, the Voldemort question is already one of the buzziest unknowns surrounding the project. Separate reports have suggested HBO may be looking at an MCU name for the role — with Paul Bettany’s name surfacing in speculation — though none of that has been confirmed by the studio. Ralph Fiennes himself has already weighed in with his own unusual suggestion for who should take over the role, which only added more fuel to the conversation.

Serkis, for his part, isn’t sitting around waiting. He’s got a full slate. His animated adaptation of Animal Farm — which he directed — is already out, though critics have largely been cool on it, taking issue with the film softening Orwell’s political edge for a younger audience. And beyond that, he’s heading back to Middle-earth in a big way: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, currently eyeing a 2027 release, will see Serkis both direct and reprise his role as Gollum. The film reportedly follows Aragorn’s hunt to capture Gollum in the years between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, with Lee Pace and Jamie Dornan among the stars and Philippa Boyens co-writing alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. He’s also attached to The Batman Part II.

So yes, the man is busy. But “waiting for the call” from Warner Bros. and HBO? Apparently there’s always room on the schedule for Voldemort.

The first season of Harry Potter arrives on HBO this Christmas. Whoever ends up wearing the Dark Lord’s robes, the bar — set by Fiennes across eight films — is extraordinarily high. But if there’s one actor alive who knows how to make audiences forget they’re watching a performance at all, it’s the guy who made a CGI cave creature one of the most heartbreaking characters in cinema history.

Warner Bros., the number is right there.

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