Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovies cut a major event from the source material, butThe Hunt for Gollumcould reveal how to adapt it in the future. Warner Bros. announcedThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumin May, and the movie is slated to hit theaters in 2026. Not many story details have been officially revealed, but2026’s Gollum movie is confirmed to take placeduringThe Fellowship of the Ring’s timeline. Based on what we know, it will likely see Gandalf and Aragorn attempting to track down Gollum after he’s captured by Sauron.
This is a search that happens inJ.R.R. Tolkien’s books, but Jackson’sFellowship of the Ringmovie condenses everything between Bilbo’s birthday party and Frodo departing from the Shire. The fact that the upcoming Gollum movie will detail unseen events in retrospect offers hope thatanother incident cut from Jackson’s films could get similar treatment. Although it’s understandable thattheLOTRmovies left outthe Scouring of the Shire, it would be great to see an individual project tackle it in some capacity — even if it’s years later.
The Hunt For Gollum Could Be The Blueprint For Adapting The Scouring Of The Shire
This Cut Incident Could Also Receive Its Own Movie Years Later
WhileThe War of the Rohirrimis treadingnew territory from Tolkien’s writings,The Hunt for Gollumis returning to what’s already been adapted.The 2026 film will expand on events glossed over in Jackson’s movie trilogy, finally adapting them properly on-screen. With Andy Serkis reprising the role of Gollum and Warner Bros. eyeingSir Ian McKellen for a Gandalf return, it seems this addition to the franchise will be worked into the existing adaptations. This could mean retconning what came before, or it could mean adjusting Tolkien’s work to fit into the films' timeline.
Regardless of how the writers make sense ofThe Hunt for Gollum’soverlap withFellowship, one thing is clear: the 2026 movie will prove Warner Bros. can add to the film trilogy even years later.
Regardless of how the writers make sense ofThe Hunt for Gollum’soverlap withFellowship, one thing is clear: the 2026 movie will prove Warner Bros. can add to the film trilogy even years later. This meansa similar blueprint could be used to bring the Scouring of the Shire to the screen. A major event from Tolkien’s Third Age story, the Scouring of the Shire sees Saruman and his forces invading the Hobbits' home. Frodo and his friends are forced to reclaim it after Sauron’s defeat, making this the final confrontation of the books.
A 70-Year-Old Lord Of The Rings Book Line Makes Me Worried About The Hunt For Gollum
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum hasn’t revealed too much about its premise, but one LOTR line is worrying for the upcoming prequel film.
It’s understandable thatJackson cut the Scouring of the Shirefrom an already lengthyReturn of the Kingmovie. However, withThe Hunt for Gollumexploring unseen events from the main story,it’s possible some version of the Scouring of the Shire could be adapted into a film as well.
Why The Scouring Of The Shire Wasn’t Included In Peter Jackson’s Movies
It Would Have Felt Out Of Place & “Anticlimactic” After The Return Of The King’s Climax
Although Frodo sees a vision akin to the Scouring of the Shire in the Mirror of Galadriel,Jackson didn’t want to adapt the battle inReturn of the King. He explained his reasoning in interviews included in the extended editions of the films, suggesting it would have been an “anticlimactic” way to end things (viaCBR). It’s a fair point, especially as the finalLOTRmovie does a great job capturing the epic nature of the One Ring’s destruction and the Battle of the Black Gate. It’d be hard to follow either of those moments.
IfThe Hunt for Gollumproves successful, it’s possible this confrontation could still be adapted — though there would be significant challenges to covering after the films.
Jackson also believed it would have been distracting, which is understandable given how much else happens inThe Return of the King.The conclusion to the trilogy is lengthy as it is, and tacking another battle onto its ending would have done more harm than good. So, it’s probably for the best that the Scouring of the Shire didn’t happen in the films, even if Tolkien fans were interested in seeing it. And ifThe Hunt for Gollumproves successful, it’s possible this confrontation could still be adapted — though there would be significant challenges to covering after the films.
There Are Challenges To Making A Movie About This Tolkien Event After Lord Of The Rings
Saruman’s Death In Return Of The King Is The Biggest Problem
AlthoughThe Hunt for Gollumproves thatLord of the Ringsevents can be adapted in retrospect,there are hefty challenges to following this blueprint for the Scouring of the Shire. The biggest is the fact that Saruman and Wormtongue perish early inThe Return of the King,making it impossible for them to lay waste to the Shire later on. And even if an adaptation wanted to change the timeline of the Scouring, Saruman’s presence would be impossible without the late Christopher Lee.
The number of challenges theLord of the Ringsfranchise would need to overcome to adapt the Scouring may not be worth it.
The only way to adapt some version of the Scouring would be without Saruman and Wormtongue, perhaps leaving it to the Orcs and Uruk-hai to attack Frodo’s home instead. We don’t actually see the Hobbits' return immediately after the War of the Ring, so it’s possible they needed to reclaim their lands from the enemy still. TheLOTRfranchise could sell that angle if it wanted to act like the Scouring happened. However, the battle would feel off without Saruman’s presence, and that’s not to mention that all the Hobbits would need to return.
With Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovies coming out more than two decades ago, the actors who play Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin have all aged. This could also be distracting, even with anti-aging technology. Needless to say, the number of challenges theLord of the Ringsfranchise would need to overcome to adapt the Scouring may not be worth it.The Hunt for Gollumfaces some similar problems, but it won’t be nearly as difficult to work it into the movies' existing timeline.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
Cast
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is an upcoming fantasy adventure film that delves into the story of Gollum’s obsession with the One Ring.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
