EXCLUSIVE: SinceWarner Brosacquired rights to make more Middle-earth films based on J.R.R.
Or Ian McKellans journey as the grey wizard Gandalf.
We watched Gollums soul corrupted as he was driven mad by the ring.
Andy Serkis and his GollumCourtesy photo
And so the choice for another movie becameLord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
With every chance that cast members from the original will drop in, as Blooms Legolas did inThe Hobbit.
Especially in the periods when Gollum was off the grid.
Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’Everett Collection
Serkis has been steadily building toward a career move like this.
Hes wrapped his first animated film, an adaptation of George OrwellsAnimal Farm.
Andy was a joy to work with directing Second Unit onThe Hobbit, Jackson said.
We have collaborated on eight films together and each time it has been a fantastic experience.
Theres no one in this earth better equipped to tackle Gollums story than Andy.
Gollums life span takes place in such an interesting period of Middle-earth.
When the question was first asked, this was the first story we thought of.
It wasnt something we were looking to do, particularly.
So when the question was asked, it was, what would draw you back?
And it was about working with the people we were working with.
It was also about the chance to work with Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy at the studio.
Alan Horn is now back at the studio.
It just felt right.
That included the elevation of Serkis to the directors chair.
Pete has always admired Andys abilities as a director, she said.
Thats why he asked him to shoot his second unit.
It was kind of a no brainer.
It was never about, why Andy?
It was like, just, God, let Andy say yes.
And Pete knew he didnt want to direct go back into the world of Middle-earth again.
[Peter] really enjoyed working with Kenji Kamiyama, who directedWar of the Rohirrim.
Andy is going to have a really interesting take.
This film has to work in its own way.
And thats our job.
Thats what we are going to have to be able to do.
Why are they going back in?
Well, thats our job, to prove why we think that its a good idea.
I was absolutely floored, Serkis told Deadline of the moment he got the call to direct.
I was preparing to shoot my first independent film, something with three actors in two locations.
I feel with them that theres always this sort of psychic kind of connective moment that triggers something enormous.
And that is the feeling I felt when I first met them and first started working with them.
It was a very profound meeting of minds.
Im very honored that theyve asked me to come back.
I love them as filmmakers because they are honest.
They always go for the truth.
It was Philippa who first called me actually and said, look, this is what were thinking.
And I was just flushed with a sort of, oh my God, Im going back in there.
Yeah, it was a terrific moment.
It turns out that Serkis never really ventured that far from the character that most defines him.
Gollum has always stuck with me throughout all of these years, he said.
And the character particularly has remained such an enormous part of my life.
That includes taking advantage of the technological enhancements made in the last two decades.
And throughout the course of the evolution of the technology through theApesmovies, it changed.
During theApesmovies is when the real experimentation began with going outdoors and shooting on location.
And those are the big movies.
And obviously Jim Cameron was working on hisAvatarmovies alongside Weta.
They were pushing the nuances of facial performance with facial capture as well.
Weta has been at the forefront of it particularly.
This is something that is clearly working at a much greater and a deeper level now.
So I dont want to commit anything right now.
Weve never wanted to be the gatekeepers of Middle-earth.
Sometimes other people put you in that position, but we dont feel that.
Honestly, I havent seen any of [the series].
I didnt want to go watch because I genuinely didnt want to be influenced.
But I think its a fantastic era, as a choice.
The making of the rings of power is a brilliant piece of storytelling.
Its a great era, full of fascinating characters.
We have the right to theLord of the Ringsand the appendices, and thats it, Boyens said.
But look atWar of the Rohirrim.
Its a page and a half at first glance in the books.
But there are lots of threads throughout the book.
Its a story about a people who are tearing themselves apart.
It absolutely has done that, and I think it surprised us.
We fell back into the world really easily and it just felt like a natural fit.
This is something that Professor Tolkien did himself and it is what worked so well, she said.
He drew upon existing mythologies to create this world.
Tolkien also gave permission for others to pivot.
