Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings Franchise Is Officially Switching Genres

by

Peter Jackson’s films brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s world of Middle-earth to life, and his Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies created a certain style for those adaptations. While all stories from Tolkien’s world are fantasy, they can explore different types of fantasy. Now, with two new Lord of the Rings projects on the way, the franchise is poised to move into a different subgenre of fantasy than what audiences have come to expect.

Peter Jackson won’t be directing the new Lord of the Rings films, The Hunt for Gollum and The Shadow of the Past, but he’ll still be heavily involved as an executive producer. Andy Serkis, famous for playing Gollum, will direct The Hunt for Gollum and reprise his role as the character. The Shadow of the Past will be directed by Stephen Colbert and his son, Peter McGee. Longtime writers Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh are also returning to work on the stories.

These new Lord of the Rings films are intended to feel like a natural extension of Peter Jackson’s previous movies. But while fans might expect another grand war story, these projects – including Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past – will be smaller in scale and have a more intimate, character-driven feel.

The Hunt For Gollum & Shadow Of The Past Will Bring Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings Into A New Genre

Both The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past are set during a peaceful period in Middle-earth. The Hunt for Gollum specifically takes place before The Fellowship of the Ring begins, showing Gandalf asking Aragorn to find Gollum and bring him to Mirkwood for questioning. Through this, Gandalf discovers Gollum’s complete history with the One Ring, and the story promises to explore the creature’s troubled past using flashbacks.

The upcoming film, Shadow of the Past, takes place 14 years after the events of Return of the King. It will center around Sam, Merry, and Pippin as they reminisce about their initial journey with Frodo. This allows the movie to revisit and expand on parts of Fellowship of the Ring that weren’t included in Peter Jackson’s films, specifically focusing on the adventures of the four hobbits as they encounter both allies and enemies in the Old Forest.

While both films will likely be engaging, they won’t feature any war, battles, or typical villains—with just one minor exception. Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past focus on providing background information for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, making their purpose quite different from previous films in the series.

The Lord Of The Rings’ Next 2 Movies Are Closer To What The Hobbit Should Have Been

It’s notable that the upcoming Lord of the Rings films seem to be trying a different style than Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, which deliberately echoed the tone and feel of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a lighter, more charming story, geared towards a younger audience. While it does have a battle, the overall mood is much less intense than the epic conflicts in The Lord of the Rings, like the battles at Helm’s Deep and Pelennor Fields.

Jackson apparently believed audiences wouldn’t enjoy a new Lord of the Rings movie unless it felt similar in style and genre to his original trilogy. This led to The Hobbit being made into three longer films with more action, but those films weren’t as successful or well-received as The Lord of the Rings. It’s possible that’s why the newer projects, Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past, are going for a gentler, more familiar feel. However, The Hobbit‘s departure from that original tone could create difficulties for these upcoming films.

The Lord Of The Rings Changing Genres Could Become A Problem

Both The Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past show a lot of promise and have fans eager to see them. Book readers will be thrilled to see these stories finally adapted to the screen, and newcomers to Tolkien’s world will gain a better understanding of Frodo’s journey with the One Ring. However, because Peter Jackson’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films focused heavily on epic battles, these new movies might not satisfy viewers hoping for a similar level of intense action.

Adding to the challenge, the recent Lord of the Rings series on Prime Video, The Rings of Power, also takes place during a time of intense war. While the series, which depicts Sauron’s rise to power, has sparked debate, its large-scale battles and conflicts align with the tone of Peter Jackson’s films. This could lead many viewers to expect something similar from Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past, potentially misunderstanding what those films are actually about.

Looking back, Peter Jackson faced a real challenge sticking solely to the core Lord of the Rings narrative. It feels like adapting some of Tolkien’s other wartime tales might have been smoother sailing, but legally, that just wasn’t possible. Warner Bros. only owns the rights to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. That means sprawling stories like The Silmarillion are completely out of reach, severely restricting what Jackson could build on. There’s a glimmer of hope that the Tolkien estate might eventually allow for more of Middle-earth to be explored on film, potentially bringing those massive fantasy battles back to the big screen. But for now, we should expect a noticeable change in direction for The Lord of the Rings franchise.

Read More

2026-05-20 20:39