Peter Jackson is taking Middle-earth in a different direction with The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Instead of another giant war-driven fantasy epic, the filmmaker wants a tighter story focused entirely on Gollum’s fractured mind. During a May 2026 interview with IndieWire, Jackson revealed that Joker became a major creative reference point for the project’s structure and character approach.
Peter Jackson Wants a More Psychological Middle-earth Story
“We were thinking about the original ‘Joker’ film, the one with Joaquin Phoenix. The way that explored the Joker’s psychology while it was telling a story. We’ve got the story that’s in the appendices, and we’ll tell that story, but we’ll tell it from an internal Gollum perspective,” he said.
Jackson clarified that the new film is not copying the tone of Todd Phillips’ DC hit. The influence comes from the character-first storytelling style. The movie will reportedly focus on Gollum’s addiction to the One Ring, his paranoia, and the internal conflict between Sméagol and Gollum while expanding on material from Tolkien’s appendices. The story takes place shortly before Frodo leaves the Shire, during the time Gandalf sends Aragorn to track Gollum before Sauron’s forces reach him first.
Jackson also explained why Andy Serkis became the obvious directing choice. According to Jackson, Serkis understands Gollum’s psychology better than anyone alive and has the ability to bring that mindset onto the screen. Jackson admitted he had little interest in directing such an intimate character study himself.
Warner Bros. is reportedly backing the film with a budget exceeding $200 million. Jamie Dornan has been cast as Strider/Aragorn, replacing Viggo Mortensen, while Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood are expected to return using digital de-aging technology. The film is currently scheduled to release on December 17, 2027.