Best Fantasy Saga’s Cinema Return Inspired by Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker!

While at the Cannes Film Festival, where he received an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony of its 79th edition last Tuesday, Peter Jackson shared updates on several of his projects, including his Tintin movie, which surprisingly has not been shelved, and the upcoming Lord of the Rings film for which he serves as a producer.

When One Iconic Villain Inspires Another

In an interview with IndieWire, Jackson revealed a surprising inspiration for “The Hunt for Gollum,” which will soon start filming under the direction of Andy Serkis, the actor known for portraying the titular character. Jackson disclosed that the team drew inspiration from another pop culture anti-hero, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker!

“We were thinking about the original Joker film, the one with Joaquin Phoenix. How it delved into the Joker’s psychology while telling a story. We have the story from the Appendices, and we’ll tell it, but we’ll tell it from Gollum’s internal perspective,” explained the filmmaker. It was the psychological approach to an iconic villain that intrigued Jackson in Todd Phillips’ acclaimed film.

Why Did Peter Jackson Pass the Directorial Baton to Andy Serkis?

“We take texts written by Tolkien and film them from a specific viewpoint, which means getting inside his head. I’m not particularly keen on getting inside Gollum’s head, Andy Serkis can handle that on his own,” continued the mastermind behind the Lord of the Rings on screen, revealing why he opted not to direct this new film himself.

He added, “I thought the film would be more interesting if Andy directed it. I truly believe, from the bottom of my heart, that if it’s a film about addiction and Gollum’s inner turmoil, Andy would make a far more interesting film than I could. If I thought I could make a better film, I would take it on. But I thought, ‘There’s someone here who’s going to make a really interesting film, and it’s not me.'” These words reflect his complete trust in his successor behind the camera.

The Appendices as a Guideline

Peter Jackson also confirmed that “The Hunt for Gollum” will indeed adapt what Tolkien wrote in his Appendices: “Gollum’s childhood and how he became what he was. His attempts to reach the Shire and the Rangers hunting him. He ends up captured and taken to Mordor—all this is in the Appendices.”

As a reminder, Andy Serkis will be joined in the film by a prestigious cast since Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood will reprise their iconic roles as Gandalf and Frodo, while Lee Pace will return as the Elven king Thranduil as he did in the Hobbit trilogy, and Jamie Dornan will succeed Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. Finally, Leo Woodall has been announced in the role of Halvard and Kate Winslet as the Hobbit Marigol.

Mark your calendars for December 15, 2027, to see all these talents in action on the big screen.

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