Fans of Middle-earth have been waiting for Hunt for Gollum for a long time. The next movie in the Lord of the Rings universe also sees the return of familiar faces, including Ian McKellen, who will portray Gandalf again. In a new interview, he finally revealed the start of filming.
The Hunt for Gollum has been in the works for a while. The film is set shortly before the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and focuses on Gollum, who loses the ring and is later tortured by Sauron.
When does filming start? In an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Source: YouTube), Ian McKellen, the legendary actor of Gandalf, briefly talked about The Hunt for Gollum. He revealed that filming is set to begin in July of this year. However, this time frame is not very comfortable for him.
An anime film has also been released as a spin-off:
Difficult Season in New Zealand
What is the problem with July? The big problem in July is that it is winter in New Zealand at that time and the weather conditions are therefore not optimal. When asked when filming would begin, McKellen replied:
I think in July, which is unfortunate because it is winter down there in New Zealand and I am not sure I want to be out in the wind and rain, but we will probably spend most of the time indoors.
Filming most of the time indoors is probably not the optimal situation for the actor, who was unhappy on the set of The Hobbit because so much CGI was used.
Did the actor reveal any more details about the upcoming film? No. Unfortunately, McKellen does not reveal any further details about the story or other actors. He only mentions again that he will wear his hat, beard, nose, and eyebrows again.
But at least for fans of The Lord of the Rings, there is a new detail. In the interview, he shares that there was likely a pocket hidden in his robe in the films, containing all of Tolkien’s work, so he could look at it before filming. According to McKellen, you can probably see the outlines of the book in the films.
When is Hunt for Gollum supposed to start? The film is expected to premiere in Germany on December 16, 2027, just in time for Christmas.
Gandalf is not the only role to which Ian McKellen returns. He will also don the armor of Magneto again. In Avengers: Doomsday, the X-Men villain returns, and a first look at Ian McKellen has already been revealed: New teaser for Avengers: Doomsday shows the return of two legendary actors who fought against each other 25 years ago
