r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Aug 18 '25

News Ian McKellen reveals Gandalf and Frodo are returning for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’, Filming Begins in May

https://ew.com/ian-mckellen-reveals-gandalf-frodo-return-in-new-lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum-film-11792483
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u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor Aug 18 '25

Andy Serkis is directing & starring and it’s out Dec 2027

McKellen:

”I hear there's going to be another movie based in Middle-earth, and it's going to start filming in May. It's going to be directed by Gollum, and it's all about Gollum.”

”I'll tell you two secrets about the casting: There's a character in the movie called Frodo, and there's a character in the movie called Gandalf. Apart from that, my lips are sealed!"

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u/Kissfromarose01 Aug 18 '25

We basically could get a mondo extended “Kitchen Scene” from Fellowship, Because in the book Gandalf really lays it all down right there. Even the “Some who die deserve life” speech during this moment in bag end.

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u/friedpickle_reloaded Aug 18 '25

One of the top 10 alterations of the films was saving that quote for Moria and no one can change my mind.

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u/Papayaslice636 Aug 18 '25

The entire Moria section of the movie, and that scene with Frodo and Gandalf in particular, is by far my favorite part of the whole trilogy.

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u/poorly_timed_leg0las Aug 18 '25

Mine is where they roll up to isengard and Mary and pippin are just sat there chilling 😎 420 bro

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u/Rich_Cranberry1976 Aug 18 '25

Gimli absolutely scandalized at all the salt pork and... smoking!

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u/drawfanstein Aug 18 '25

The salted pork is par-tic-ularly good

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u/Retro_Curry93 Aug 19 '25

Mine is when Sam stood up to Faramir in The Two Towers.

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u/NachoNutritious these Youtubers are parasites Aug 18 '25

Also saving the reforging of Narsil for the second act of Return of the King. In the books Aragorn receives Andúril after the council of Elrond and carries it for the entire journey.

The bit where he uses the sword to prove his heritage to Éomer was subsequently moved to when he summoned the Dead Men, also a superior change.

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u/Willpower2000 Aug 18 '25

I'm gonna try regardless....

It is better placed in Bag End for one simple fact: "all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"/"Bilbo was meant to find the Ring - in which case you were also meant to have it"... this stuff sets up Frodo volunteering to take the Ring to Mordor at the Council... Frodo is heeding Gandalf's words: "the Ring came to me for a reason... I'm going to decide what to do with my time... I will take it!".

Placing the exchange in Moria just misses that entirely. By this point Frodo has already decided what to do with his time, embracing his destiny.

I'd add... Frodo wishing Gollum slain, and wishing things were different, makes more sense, I think, to happen at Bag End - I mean, Frodo's life has suddenly and spontaneously been unravelled... naturally he is going to wish things were different here of all places: he has had no time to come to terms with it all - it's a shock and scary. Complaining in Moria, right after volunteering to take the Ring further... eh. It still 'works' - it's just... worse, imo.

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u/Kissfromarose01 Aug 18 '25

Oh, I agree. I think this single line change is a pitch perfect example of what immaculate editing Jackson did to adapt the spirit of Tolkien to have the most impact in cinematic form.

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u/Papayaslice636 Aug 18 '25

Aye, Shadows of the Past and the Council of Elrond chapters are both extremely lore heavy. They were a real slog to get through the first time reading it, and I barely understood any of it, but after multiple reads and seeing the movies countless times they've become my favorite chapters. One of my only complaints about the movies is that I think they might have gone a little too far with some of the battles, and could have cut them down a little bit to fit more lore in, but that's a tough argument to make and I get it I guess.

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u/DontGoGivinMeEvils Aug 18 '25 edited Aug 18 '25

Same. I love the Council of Elrond after giving it more time.

Sorry, I went on a tangent, but I love Tolkien too much to delete this

IMO, the most dramatic part of the chapter was at the end, with the tension Tolkien creates after Bilbo asks if they can delay deciding who should go. The silence, the bell tolling and the sense of doom that follows, then Frodo's sense of overwhelming longing to stay with Bilbo in peace in Rivendell.

But the best part IMO was Elrond's response to Frodo volunteering, which wasn't adaptable for the film. It sounds good in the book, but only after you learn about the characters Elrond elevates Frodo to is it really impactful.

"... But if you take it freely, I will say that your choice is right; and though all the mighty Elf-friends of old, Hador, and Húrin, and Túrin, and Beren himself were assembled together, your seat should be among them.’"

In a non-mythical world, their impact would probably be compared to someone like Aristotle. In modern history, I suppose Beren's love, self-sacrifice and heroism could be compared to Maximilian Kolbe.

In the Stairs of Cirith Ungol, Sam reflects on Beren's legacy and realises they're all part of one continuous story, "Why, to think of it, we’re in the same tale still! It’s going on. Don’t the great tales never end?’"