Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies cut a major event from the source material, but 2026's Gollum movie is confirmed to take place during The Fellowship of the Ring's timeline. Based on what we know, it will likely see Gandalf and Aragorn attempting to track down Gollum after he's captured by Sauron.
This is a search that happens in the LOTR movies left out the Scouring of the Shire, it would be great to see an individual project tackle it in some capacity — even if it's years later.
The Hunt For Gollum Could Be The Blueprint For Adapting The Scouring Of The Shire
This Cut Incident Could Also Receive Its Own Movie Years Later
While Sir Ian McKellen for a Gandalf return, it seems this addition to the franchise will be worked into the existing adaptations. This could mean retconning what came before, or it could mean adjusting Tolkien's work to fit into the films' timeline.
Regardless of how the writers make sense of The Hunt for Gollum's overlap with Fellowship, one thing is clear: the 2026 movie will prove Warner Bros. can add to the film trilogy even years later.
Regardless of how the writers make sense of The Hunt for Gollum's overlap with Fellowship, one thing is clear: the 2026 movie will prove Warner Bros. can add to the film trilogy even years later. This means a similar blueprint could be used to bring the Scouring of the Shire to the screen. A major event from Tolkien's Third Age story, the Scouring of the Shire sees Saruman and his forces invading the Hobbits' home. Frodo and his friends are forced to reclaim it after Sauron's defeat, making this the final confrontation of the books.
A 70-Year-Old Lord Of The Rings Book Line Makes Me Worried About The Hunt For Gollum
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum hasn't revealed too much about its premise, but one LOTR line is worrying for the prequel film.
It's understandable that Jackson cut the Scouring of the Shire from an already lengthy Return of the King movie. However, with The Hunt for Gollum exploring unseen events from the main story, it's possible some version of the Scouring of the Shire could be adapted into a film as well.
Why The Scouring Of The Shire Wasn't Included In Peter Jackson's Movies
It Would Have Felt Out Of Place & "Anticlimactic" After The Return Of The King's Climax
Although Frodo sees a vision akin to the Scouring of the Shire in the Mirror of Galadriel, Jackson didn't want to adapt the battle in Return of the King. He explained his reasoning in interviews included in the extended editions of the films, suggesting it would have been an "anticlimactic" way to end things (via CBR). It's a fair point, especially as the final LOTR movie does a great job capturing the epic nature of the One Ring's destruction and the Battle of the Black Gate. It'd be hard to follow either of those moments.
If The Hunt for Gollum proves successful, it's possible this confrontation could still be adapted — though there would be significant challenges to covering after the films.
Jackson also believed it would have been distracting, which is understandable given how much else happens in The Return of the King. The conclusion to the trilogy is lengthy as it is, and tacking another battle onto its ending would have done more harm than good. So, it's probably for the best that the Scouring of the Shire didn't happen in the films, even if Tolkien fans were interested in seeing it. And if The Hunt for Gollum proves successful, it's possible this confrontation could still be adapted — though there would be significant challenges to covering after the films.
There Are Challenges To Making A Movie About This Tolkien Event After Lord Of The Rings
Saruman's Death In Return Of The King Is The Biggest Problem
Although The Hunt for Gollum proves that Lord of the Rings events can be adapted in retrospect, there are hefty challenges to following this blueprint for the Scouring of the Shire. The biggest is the fact that Saruman and Wormtongue perish early in The Return of the King, making it impossible for them to lay waste to the Shire later on. And even if an adaptation wanted to change the timeline of the Scouring, Saruman's presence would be impossible without the late Christopher Lee.
The number of challenges the Lord of the Rings franchise would need to overcome to adapt the Scouring may not be worth it.
The only way to adapt some version of the Scouring would be without Saruman and Wormtongue, perhaps leaving it to the Orcs and Uruk-hai to attack Frodo's home instead. We don't actually see the Hobbits' return immediately after the War of the Ring, so it's possible they needed to reclaim their lands from the enemy still. The LOTR franchise could sell that angle if it wanted to act like the Scouring happened. However, the battle would feel off without Saruman's presence, and that's not to mention that all the Hobbits would need to return.
Lord of the Rings Cast: Where Are They Now?
Two decades after the conclusion of the epic trilogy of movies, what is the cast of Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings up to today?
With Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies coming out more than two decades ago, the actors who play Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin have all aged. This could also be distracting, even with anti-aging technology. Needless to say, the number of challenges the Lord of the Rings franchise would need to overcome to adapt the Scouring may not be worth it. The Hunt for Gollum faces some similar problems, but it won't be nearly as difficult to work it into the movies' existing timeline.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
- Release Date
- December 17, 2027
- Director
- Andy Serkis
- Writers
- Arty Papageorgiou, Phoebe Gittins, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, J.R.R. Tolkien
- Franchise(s)
- The Lord of the Rings
Cast
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is an fantasy adventure film that delves into the story of Gollum's obsession with the One Ring. The film takes place during the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, exploring Gollum's tumultuous past and his relentless pursuit of the Ring.
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- Movie(s)
- The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- Created by
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- First Film
- The Lord of the Rings (1978)
- Cast
- Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt
- TV Show(s)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Character(s)
- Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
