Shadows from the past have loomed large over Hollywood productions for some time now, most delivering a pressing need for more prequels and spinoffs from franchises that have little else to give. It’s fitting, then, that the latest attempt to wring something new from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings saga is borrowing so heavily from, well, “The Shadow of the Past.” A brief chapter in Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring, “The Shadow of the Past,” offers some insight into the finding of the Ring of Power, and its influence over the Hobbit-turned-wraith Gollum. That part of Gollum’s story feels more like a footnote designed to advance the plot and explain how the Ring passed from his hands into those of Bilbo Baggins and, eventually, Frodo Baggins — but for The Hunt for Gollum, it’s the key to unlocking a new corner of the franchise.
Andy Serkis, who’s played Gollum on-and-off for the past two decades, is returning to Middle-earth as both actor and director. He’ll helm The Hunt for Gollum, a midquel set between the Hobbit trilogy and the original Lord of the Rings films, alongside a cast of new and old characters. Updates about the film remain scarce, but at this year’s Cinemacon, Warner Bros. set the record straight on who, exactly, will play a part in the titular hunt. Some confirmations were already a sure thing, like the return of Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Others — like the return of The Hobbit alum Lee Pace, or the casting of Jamie Dornan (not Leo Woodall) as a younger Aragorn — were pleasant surprises.
