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3 Lord of the Rings Movies We Want To See More Than the Hunt for Gollum
The Hunt for Gollum is set to tackle a piece of Lord of the Rings history that isn’t touched on in Peter Jackson’s trilogy. However, there are other movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s work we’d rather see instead. Tolkien’s writings open the door for all sorts of storytelling in Middle-earth. Unfortunately, recent attempts to venture outside The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books have been disappointing. Despite the potential of Middle-earth’s First and Second Age — and even the parts of the Third Age Frodo’s story doesn’t cover — projects like The Rings of Power and War of the Rohirrim aren’t resonating the way they should.
The Hunt for Gollum will bring viewers back to the timeline of the main story, but banking on nostalgia and connections to the trilogy won’t revive the franchise either. In fact, the movie’s timeline means it could retcon Jackson’s series, risking the franchise’s legacy further. Unpopular choices, like the rumored recasting of Aragorn, will also ensure that The Hunt for Gollum doesn’t pan out as intended. I hope I’m wrong, as I’d like to see another successful Lord of the Rings movie in the near future. But that would be more likely if Warner Bros. was adapting a more interesting part of Middle-earth’s history. These three would have been preferable to the search for Gollum that precedes Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring.
3) The War Between Arnor & Angmar Offers Action & World-Building Opportunities
The Lord of the Rings movies talk about the Dúnedain and feature the Witch-king of Angmar as a minor villain. Sadly, they don’t have time to properly elaborate on either. A film focused on the Third Age conflict between Arnor, the home of the Dúnedain, and the Witch-Realm of Angmar would provide more details. It would need to be condensed — or spread out over multiple films — but the combination of action and world-building it would deliver would make it a worthy endeavor. With the Witch-king leading the charge on Angmar’s side, the film would have an opportunity to expand on the mysterious villain. And we’d get to learn more about Aragorn’s ancestors, witnessing the reason they mostly faded away.
2) Beren and Lúthien Has a Gripping Mission & Strong Emotional Core
There’s a lot of skepticism surrounding an adaptation of Tolkien’s First Age, but I believe it could work if handled with care. And one story that would be a great choice for the big screen is Beren and Lúthien, one of Tolkien’s “Great Tales” published after his death. The forbidden love story and tragic ending would make a compelling emotional core for a film, while the characters’ quest to steal one of Morgoth’s Silmarils would be gripping and suspenseful. It would also allow the franchise to depict Morgoth on-screen at long last, which is an exciting prospect in its own right. If successful, it could also open the door to adopt Tolkien’s other “Great Tales”: The Children of Húrin and The Fall of Gondolin.
1) Aragorn’s Backstory Would Be a Better Way to Flesh Out the Character
If Warner Bros. really wanted to capitalize on fan-favorite characters from the Lord of the Rings, it should have just made a movie about Aragorn’s backstory. The studio would still need to recast the role, but it would make more sense to do so if we were following a younger version of the character. By contrast, changing actors during a film meant to take place amid The Fellowship of the Ring is just jarring. And Aragorn’s life before The Fellowship of the Ring is full of adventure. While his journeys would likely be more suited for a miniseries, Warner Bros. could use his love story with Arwen to string them together into one larger picture. It would offer more context for their relationship in the trilogy and further endear us to the character — without tarnishing the earlier films’ legacy.
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