Warner Bros/New Line Cinema
In early 2023, it was announced that New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. were developing new Lord of the Rings movies, which was then followed by reports earlier this week that Andy Serkis, who has famously starred in the franchise as Gollum, would be directing the 2026 film, which is titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
As it turns out, however, The Hunt for Gollum isn’t an original idea, as “The Hunt for Gollum” was actually the name of a fan film that was posted to YouTube 15 years ago and has racked up 13 million views since.
Not only did the studio rip off the fan film’s subtitle but they also had the 15-year-old passion project taken down off YouTube, at least temporarily.
After being up for 15 years and after accumulating over 13 million views, The Hunt For Gollum fan film on YouTube has been copyright striked by WB on the day of the official film’s announcement. 😔 pic.twitter.com/gvc0d2QugW
— Celeborn (@ClaysCourt) May 10, 2024
After the copyright claim went viral and sparked the outrage of LOTR fans, the studio seemed to strike their claim as the fan film is now back on YouTube (as of 12 p.m. EST on Friday, May 10).
In addition to directing the project, Serkis will also return to perform the motion capture for Gollum, which is a character he played in three Lord of the Rings films and the first The Hobbit prequel movie.
Speaking to BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast in March 2023, Serkis — who has also directed Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle — said that “Middle-Earth never left” him and that he’d “jump” at the chance to return to the franchise.
“[Producers] Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens are sort of a second family that I have become part of and have gone on to make so many films with,” Serkis told us.
“And — let me tell you — they are the best and most incredible people to work with. I think that there are so many other potential Middle-Earth projects which could come about, and if they’re doing them, I would, of course, jump at the chance to have that relationship rekindled … Middle-Earth has never left me.”
While Warner Bros. said in a statement that Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will release in 2026, an official release date has not been announced, nor have any casting decisions. All six of the previous films in the Lord of the Rings franchise are currently streaming on MAX.