Silvered-glass
Nargothrond
May 10 2025, 8:28am
Views: 164608
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Movie from Gollum's Perspective
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So the movie is going to be all about Gollum as the main character rather than as a plot device. This is a huge leap of assumptions. You would do well to search for prior discussion on this, of which there was plenty. Also, there needs to be some realistic understanding about production expense, schedule and that Serkis is directing. What you wave away - plot device - is the more likely outcome. Gollum won't be entirely a MacGuffin, but will have less screen time than the other main characters despite being titular. It's right there in the title of the film - "The Hunt" and not "The Prey." That means we have maybe Aragorn, Gandalf or others leading the screen time, with Gollum on the move showing up as necessary. A lot of Gollum would get excessive on budget and CGI time, Serkis does not have the time as director to have the majority of screen time. Too little Gollum and the audience will be displeased, but getting a lot of screen time for other main cast from LOTR will thrill the audience. Too much Gollum and it's just Serkis doing his schtick, cheapening the character. Judicious use is the smart thing to do, and he is smart.
I too thought the movie would do the smart thing and be a movie about other characters hunting Gollum, but it looks like that dream is over.
CGI characters are no longer on the cutting edge of technology and CGI routinely gets used very heavily these days, so I don't think all the required CGI would be a problem for a movie that was never going to be low-budget anyway.
Here is the most relevant part of the Boyens quote again:
incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature
If the story is told through Gollum's perspective, that means he has to be the main character unless the plot is going to be about Gollum sneaking in the shadows spying on the real plot, but that isn't compatible with Gollum's historical movements. Some side characters that interact with Gollum are to expected, but for big parts of Gollum's movements, those side characters would need to be made up. Cutting away to scenes elsewhere (such as Bilbo having a party) are expected too, but those can't take the majority of the movie or it would no longer be Gollum's perspective.
Yes, I know it all sounds a terrible idea. In the beginning of the movie Gollum would triumph over his own fears to leave his cave, but then in the scary outside world multiple factions are trying to capture and imprison him to ask questions about the One Ring. I imagine the script will drop the part about Gandalf torturing Gollum with fire though.
The title "The Hunt for Gollum" has its source in The Unfinished Tales and wasn't made up for the movie. There is a fan-film of the same name too.
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