Credit: New Line CinemaLord of the Rings fans are excited about the possibility of a new prequel film to the original trilogy after a new teaser poster has been circulating around the Internet.
There has not been a new theatrical Lord of the Rings movie since The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), which concluded the Peter Jackson prequel trilogy to widespread disappointment, despite grossing nearly a billion dollars at the box office. Since then, the franchise has largely pivoted to video game adaptations and streaming television, but it does not seem to scratch quite the same itch for many JRR Tolkien fans.
Amazon Prime Video acquired television adaptation rights for the Lord of the Rings in 2017 and quickly announced that it would make at least five seasons of a prequel series largely inspired by the extensive appendices to Tolkien’s work, like Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion. The company also committed to a staggering $1 billion production over the course of five seasons, instantly making it one of the most expensive television shows ever made. The show is helmed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power began streaming on Prime Video in September 2022 and was largely praised by critics, although its characterization of existing fan favorites like Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) rankled some fans. The second season of the series is scheduled to be released in 2024, though there is no confirmed premiere date as of yet.
In addition to the Prime Video series, 2024 will bring Lord of the Rings fans an entirely different prequel to the original series, produced by Peter Jackson. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an upcoming animated prequel film depicting a Middle-earth king of Rohan defending his country against invaders hundreds of years before the Peter Jackson trilogy.
However, Lord of the Rings fans are now excited about the possibility of a Smeagol film depicting the younger years of the unfortunate Hobbit, who would come to be known as Gollum after being corrupted by the influence of the One Ring of Power of the Dark Lord Sauron.
A fan-made poster depicting original Lord of the Rings series actor Andy Serkis as Gollum is currently circulating on fan sites, depicting the character in a comparatively human-like stage of his devolution to the creature first seen in The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). If one looks carefully, you can also see Sauron’s “burning eye” form reflected in Serkis’s pupils.
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While the poster includes the Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema in the bottom corners, this is definitely fan-made, and neither studio has announced plans for an Andy Serkis solo edition of the series. Serkis currently has a pretty full slate with Star Wars and Batman projects in his future, as well as an adaptation of Animal Farm. However, who knows? Maybe someday, a Lord of the Rings prequel series will satisfy fans.
Would you watch a Smeagol prequel film? Let us know in the comments below!