Andy Serkis and Peter Jackson‘s relationship was instrumental during grueling shoot of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, their “King Kong” remake (Serkis playing dual roles of the ship’s cook and Kong), the animated “Tintin” film, and they would link up again for “The Hobbit” trilogy, with Serkis getting behind the camera as the second unit director and is now helming “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum.”
Jackson is now discussing at the Cannes Film Festival Rendez-Vous (via Deadline) WHY he decided to step aside for “The Hunt For Gollum” and is teasing that he’s working on a new “Tintin 2” script with the help of longtime creative partner Fran Walsh (also co-writing and co-producing “The Hunt For Gollum”).
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“I’ve been working with Fran on a new Tintin script,” Jackson added, noting that he is currently working on it while attending Cannes (where he recived an honoary Palme d’Or award) and reminding us that he was poised to direct the second installment after Steven Spielberg tackled the first film from 2011 (that one was co-written by Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, and Steven Moffat).
Serkis and Jamie Bell co-starred in “Tintin,” so there is an expectation given they shot the movie with motion capture technology that they’d be returning to their respective roles for the gestating sequel (teased by Jackson that he’ll helm this time). Then again, when “The Adventures of Tintin” was first announced, it was mapped out as a trilogy, but those two other films never materialized. “Tintin 2” was reportedly going to adapt the Hergé stories “The Seven Crystal Balls” and “Prisoners of the Sun,” but that was later refuted (we don’t know what source material is being used for this new script from Jackson and Walsh).
Jackson also said why he believes Serkis is the best person for the directing gig on “The Hunt For Gollum.”
“It would be more interesting with this particular story, which takes place between ‘Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ if Andy Serkis directed it…It’s an internal story about Gollum’s psychology and addiction. It’s a personal story to Gollum. Andy knows this guy better than anybody. I didn’t think about me. The more exciting version of this movie is if Andy Serkis made it…“I’m leaving it to him. I’m here to help where I can. But I don’t interfere. I’ve given him as much freedom as I can,”
You might remember that when Guillermo del Toro exited “The Hobbit,” Jackson, bending to pressure from New Line Cinema and others, reluctantly took on the directing duties when he was poised to simply act as a co-writer and producer. So, we were never under the impression Jackson was itching to jump into the director’s chair for another Middle-Earth epic (that could change, but we won’t hold our breath).
That said, the cast for “The Hunt For Gollum” featured alongside Serkis are officially going to be Jamie Dornan (recast as Aragorn, taking over for Viggo Mortensen), Kate Winslet, Ian McKellan, Elijah Wood, Lee Pace, and Leo Woodall. Warner Bros. has announced the fantasy pic is heading to the big screen on December 17, 2027, with production returning to New Zealand.
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