“The Hunt for Gollum,” a new adaptation of “Lord of the Rings,” will bring back memories for fans

YouTube screenshot

It is clear that the early fans have not forgotten this mediocre fan film that nevertheless hid many qualities.

Cinema – Middle-earth is being remade on the big screen… well, almost. While the second season of Power rings Still awaiting the first information about a new film based on the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, announced on Thursday, May 9. With important details for fans of the first hour of Lord of the rings.

This new movie has an English title Conan’s chase (which can be translated as Conan’s chase By us), it should be released in cinemas in 2026. A somewhat expected announcement, which should reassure fans of this universe since diverse He confirms that the father of cinematic adaptations of the work, director Peter Jackson, will be present there.

” Involved in every step of the process “, However, Peter Jackson and his loyal partners in the saga (Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) will not direct this new film. This matter has been entrusted to the famous interpreter of Gollum in cinema, the British actor and director Andy Serkis, as specified in a Warner Bros press release .

As for the story, it should focus on machinations that have not yet been told in cinema, according to the producer and CEO of the American studio, David Zaslav. But Middle-earth experts know that the title refers to the quest led by Aragorn and Gandalf after the events The hobbit But before that Lord of the rings. A hunt led by the character played by Viggo Mortensen in the cinema to find the dark creature who knows a lot about the One Ring created by Sauron.

An eye-catching fan film

Does this story mean anything to you? If so, nothing could be more natural since a movie about it already exists. Or more precisely ” Fan film Developed outside the official framework of Peter Jackson’s cinematic saga, this project was unveiled in 2009 and was a huge hit upon release. This was helped by its free online distribution, Conan’s chase It even found a place at the London International Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Festival, known as SCI-FI-LONDON.

By discovering the title of this new film (planned since February 2023 by Warner Bros. in a broader project of “ Several movies » About Tolkien’s World), early fans couldn’t help but think back to this fairly faithful adaptation, which has been available for over 15 years.

“We quickly forgot about the fan film Conan’s chaseReleased in 2009 »

“It is fortunate that Conan’s chase Not really the title of a 38-minute fan film released in 2009, or an expansion title for the card game the Lord of the Rings ! »

Some took a dim view of this desire to adapt this existing story into film again Appendices and appendices to The Lord of the Ringsas he considers it merely unscrupulous recycling on the part of the studio to perpetuate this highly profitable franchise in cinema.

“Fans actually made a fan film with the exact same title back in 2009, in case you were wondering if Warner Bros. was out of ideas », regrets, for example, this Internet user.

It lasts about forty minutes, Conan’s chase It has a visual ambition close to that of Peter Jackson’s first trilogy, despite a more than ridiculous budget in comparison. But it is still licensed by the British novelist’s rights holders, on the condition that no profits are made on the project, as its director Chris Bouchard explained to the BBC in 2009. The film is still available in its entirety on YouTube.

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