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During an appearance on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, Wood talked about The Hunt for Gollum, addressing whether or not it can live up to the heights of the initial trilogy. “I don’t think it has to,” he said. “Because it doesn’t bear the weight of the trilogy. It’s not the trilogy. It’s not those books. But it is certainly excerpts from the books, and it is characters from the books, and it is all canon … it is a side quest. It’s a side story. I think it’ll provide a lot of context for Gollum and an understanding of that character that we only got a bit of in the [Return of the King] prologue.”
He continued, “I know that this was something that was super important to Andy, and I’m sure he’ll talk about it, but like, the why. The “why?” of it. And I think they got excited at the notion of a nugget of a story, and then they wrote it and realized that they had found the why. Like, “Why am I doing this? Well, this is why I’m doing this.” So, it’s filled with integrity.” Wood also went on to highlight that most of the behind-the-scenes crew from the Lord of the Rings trilogy is returning to further ensure a sense of authenticity.
The “Why?” Is the Biggest Question The Hunt for Gollum Needs to Answer
The original Lord of the Rings trilogy has endured as one of the most beloved film series of all time, earning widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades (including a record-tying 11 Oscar wins for Return of the King). While those movies continue to resonate and have a passionate fan base, Middle-earth’s overall on-screen track record is decidedly more uneven. The Hobbit trilogy was financially successful but earned mixed reviews, even though Peter Jackson returned to direct. There were extenuating circumstances that contributed to how the Hobbit movies turned out (the decision to turn it from two films to three didn’t help from a creative perspective), but they still serve as cautionary tales illustrating that perhaps Lord of the Rings was a case of catching lightning in a bottle.
It’s fascinating to hear Wood address the question of “why?” in his interview because that’s arguably the biggest hurdle The Hunt for Gollum needs to clear. After The Hobbit soured some viewers on further big-screen adventures in Middle-earth, the concept of The Hunt for Gollum hasn’t done much to reignite interest in a franchise continuation. On paper, it reads as Hollywood’s latest attempt to tap into nostalgia for an iconic IP, leaning heavily into familiar fan-favorite elements. As Wood alludes to, The Hunt for Gollum is an interquel set during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, chronicling Gandalf and Aragorn’s attempt to track Gollum down after Gandalf realizes Bilbo was in possession of the One Ring.
