Production for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM is officially underway.
“What are we gonna start with?” Andy Serkis, who is reprising his role as Gollum, said in a recently-shared behind-the-scenes video.
A production assistant replied, “Uhh, Scene 1, the beginning.”
“That’s a very good place to start,” Serkis said, then gets into character as Gollum, who he brings to life through his performance in a motion-capture suit.
Related: SUPER MARIO BROS Actress Joins the HUNT FOR GOLLUM Cast
In addition to playing Gollum, Serkis is also directing THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM.
“We’ve literally just completed a week. We’re finally up and running, so it’s great. It’s really exciting,” Serkis recently told Variety of the movie’s production. “It couldn’t be better. And it’s not just those guys who obviously I adore and love and have spent so many years working with, but the entire crew, practically from 25 years ago. So it’s great. And there are generations of their kids too. So it is a big family affair.”
While the actor and director acknowledged the movie’s VFX crew will use AI technology for some de-aging effects, Serkis was adamant that THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM is “not creating AI shots in our movie, every shot is created in a traditional way.”
“One of the things actually that I really wanted to do with this film was to bring back all of the great filmmaking skills, from miniatures to prosthetics and marry them up, because that’s my taste. I like it when you mix up different filmmaking techniques,” he added.
In an interview with Den of Geek, Serkis discussed what it’s been like creating a new story, while still staying faithful to the onscreen world LOTR fans are already familiar with.
“All the same people who worked on the original movies have come back to the set department; the set designers; we’re using miniatures; we’re employing some of the older techniques and bringing some of the new techniques to bear as well,” he told the site. “So we will be walking the tightrope of creating a world that people are familiar with, but also it’s an entirely new story.”
Serkis continued, “I’m very excited, and not just it being a nostalgia trip. There’s actually a lot to explore with the character of Gollum…This film sits between the world of the HOBBIT trilogy and the original trilogy, so within the law and canon, it sits perfectly in there, but technically, visually, and stylistically, it wants to merge those two [trilogies].”
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM premieres in theaters Dec. 17, 2027.
Read Next: Here’s Why THE LORD OF THE RINGS Director Handed Over Reigns to Andy Serkis
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
