A brand new Lord of the Rings film, titled The Hunt for Gollum, has been announced by Warner Bros., raising questions about continuity with the Peter Jackson trilogy. After a hiatus from the franchise, audiences will have a second season of The Rings of Power in late 2024, an animated film titled War of the Rohirrim, and now, a slate of new Lord of the Rings live-action movies developed by Warner Bros. The new film is expected to be released in 2026 and will see Andy Serkis directing, as well as returning to the iconic role of Gollum.

New Lord of the Rings movies are cause for speculation, as the previous Hobbit movies were far more divisive. Not to mention, the reactions to The Rings of Power were mixed after the first season. The Lord of the Rings trilogy movies are considered some of the most beloved novel adaptations ever, faithfully bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s world to the big screen, and they’ve set a gold standard for any new movies to live up to. However, Peter Jackson will be heavily involved in The Hunt for Gollum’s development, showing some promise.

The Hunt For Gollum Takes Place During The Fellowship Of The Ring (But Peter Jackson’s Movies Skipped Over It)

Gandalf Sent Aragorn To Capture Gollum During The Events Of Fellowship

As much as Peter Jackson’s are stellar adaptations, they’re not entirely accurate and make some distinct changes to the Lord of the Rings chronology. One of the most well-known differences between the books and the films is the duration of time before Frodo embarks on his quest in The Fellowship of the Ring. In the book, 17 years occur between Frodo receiving the ring from Bilbo and him leaving for Rivendell. In the movies, it’s portrayed as a far shorter period of time. However, The Hunt for Gollum will take place during that time, retconning the timeline change.

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings skims over Gandalf’s experience during those 17 years, altogether leaving out the fact that he sent Aragorn to capture Gollum for information, hence the plot of the upcoming movie. While the duration isn’t specified in The Fellowship of the Ring movie, retroactively inserting an entire movie’s worth of events into that period could be clunky. Still, this would be a better choice than marketing the film as a prequel.

Why The Hunt For Gollum Shouldn’t Be A Prequel

Making The Hunt For Gollum A LOTR Prequel Would Contradict Gandalf’s Story In Fellowship

Calling The Hunt for Gollum a prequel seems much more straightforward, particularly from a marketing standpoint, than saying, “It happens sometime during The Fellowship of the Ring.” However, referring to the movie as a prequel creates an even bigger issue with Fellowship’s story, as it would imply that Gandalf already knew about the One Ring at the start of the movie. Either way they choose to portray the timeline, it contradicts one aspect of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptation.