10 Lord Of The Rings Characters Ranked By Chances Of Appearing In The Hunt For Gollum

This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings book.The new The Lord of the Rings movie is coming up, and it may feature some classic Tolkien characters. The new movie currently has the working title of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, but this may change (via Popverse). The movie’s title refers to its protagonist, Gollum, who appeared in Peter Jackson’s original, legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy. Andy Serkis will reprise his role as Gollum in the new movie, but will also step up as director, replacing Peter Jackson. Gollum’s appearance in the new movie is inevitable, while some Lord of the Rings characters’ appearances are more likely than others.

Jackson directed all six movies in the Warner Bros. franchise thus far, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. In stepping down from the helm of the franchise, Jackson offered Serkis the chance to control a movie about his own character. A deep dive into Gollum’s psychology is planned (via Deadline). Serkis directing this movie will result in an unfettered look at one of cinema’s great villains, so “there may be characters that [viewers] recognize that might be coming back” (via Popverse). This will help tell Gollum’s story, with certain characters likely to play vital supporting roles.

10 Saruman

Saruman The White

Saruman the White could end up appearing in The Hunt for Gollum. This famous Lord of the Rings villain does crop up toward the end of what could be described as the hunt for Gollum in the book. The arc of the hunt for Gollum is in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings, and describes a search for Gollum which culminates in the year Gandalf finds himself in Orthanc.

Orthanc is one of the eponymous two towers of Jackson’s second Lord of the Rings movie, governed by Saruman. Toward the end of the hunt for Gollum, the arc’s main characters are separated. However, Gandalf is one of the arc’s main characters and would likely encounter Saruman in Orthanc. If the upcoming movie arrives at this point in The Lord of the Rings timeline, it may well feature Saruman.

9 Elrond

Lord Of Rivendell

One of the most powerful Elves in The Lord of the Rings, Elrond Half-elven is a possible character of The Hunt for Gollum. While not one of the protagonists of the storyline that covers the hunt for Gollum, Elrond could be seen to feature in it. Iconic fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t go into too much detail about these events, but offered that during the hunt for Gollum, Elrond sent for Arwen.

The story is provided in Tolkien’s appendices as a timeline, very scant on imagery or explanation. As such, the context of Elrond calling for Arwen is a little mysterious. However, it is clear that the mountains and all lands eastward were becoming dangerous – there likely wasn’t too much more to it than that. Elrond’s brief appearance in events related to the hunt for Gollum signals a potential cameo in the movie.

8 Bilbo Baggins

Fifth Ring-Bearer

The titular hero of The Hobbit movies, Bilbo Baggins could pop up in The Hunt for Gollum. It is on Bilbo’s 111th birthday party that Gandalf starts seeking news of Gollum. This event effectively marks the beginning of the hunt for Gollum in the book. There’s no indication of the movie’s plot or script yet, but it’s likely that this important event will feature in them somehow.

Just because Bilbo’s birthday party was the first sign of a hunt for Gollum in the book, it doesn’t mean that the movie will include it. After all, Bilbo’s party is not a hunt for Gollum, and the movie has a lot of ground to cover, so may focus on the hunt itself, or completely on Gollum. The hunt extends far and wide across Middle-earth, from Mirkwood to Rhovanion.

7 Frodo Baggins

Sixth Ring-Bearer

Frodo Baggins may appear in The Hunt for Gollum, as he is party to quite a few of the events Tolkien discusses in and around the hunt for Gollum. Frodo is present at Bilbo’s birthday party, although this party might not be in the movie. However, Frodo is also visited by Gandalf during the Wizard’s search for Gollum.

Whereas Gandalf first starts looking for reports of Sméagol’s whereabouts on the day of Bilbo’s farewell feast, he goes on to spend years looking for him. Every four years, Gandalf visits Frodo in the Shire, providing ample opportunity for the movie’s plot to reach the Shire. Frodo’s close relationship with Gandalf ensures a high possibility of his appearance in the new movie.

6 Legolas

Prince Of The Woodland Realm

Legolas is one of the best Lord of the Rings characters of all time, so thankfully, there’s reason to believe he could be in The Hunt for Gollum. Bilbo’s birthday party happens in the year 3001 of the Third Age. Despite starting to question Gollum’s location then, Gandalf doesn’t start looking for Gollum in earnest until 3009. Gandalf spends the next eight years searching, and his journeys take him to Legolas’ home.

At this point, Legolas is living in Mirkwood with his father, Thranduil, who played a big role in The Hobbit. While looking for Gollum, Gandalf and Aragorn pass through Mirkwood. The Hunt for Gollum could include a cursory glimpse into Mirkwood, or include longer scenes in the forest with no characters other than Gandalf and Aragorn. However, Gandalf and Aragorn could easily run into Legolas in the movie.

5 Gandalf

Gandalf The Grey

Gandalf is the next most important character in the hunt for Gollum after Gollum himself in The Lord of the Rings, making his appearance in the movie very possible. Ian McKellen jokingly said he would happily reprise his role as Gandalf “if [he’s] still alive.” (via The Times). With McKellen’s approval, all that remains in determining Gandalf’s part in the upcoming movie is confirmation of its plot.

Showing events from Gollum’s perspective means that the movie will likely choose not to focus on those hunting for Gollum, and instead on the one being hunted. It is Aragorn who finds Gollum in the story, not Gandalf, even though Gandalf spends the same amount of time as Aragorn looking for him. However, Gandalf’s key role in events that concern finding Gollum mark him out as a potential character in the coming movie.

4 Thranduil

The Elvenking

Bearing in mind the likelihood of Legolas Greenleaf featuring in The Hunt for Gollum, Thranduil’s appearance is also possible. If anything, it is more likely that Thranduil will star in the movie. This is because Thranduil is a key player in Gandalf and Aragorn’s search for Gollum. In 3017, Aragorn finds Gollum and brings him to Thranduil in Mirkwood.

Gandalf starts searching for Gollum in 3001, putting 16 years between the start of the hunt and Aragorn bringing Gollum to Thranduil. It could be hard for the movie to portray this length of time. As such, the movie may leave out the start of the hunt, allowing time to display Thanduil’s core role. Or, it may leave Thranduil’s part in the story to its sequel. Alternatively, the timeline may be compressed, which would make Legolas and Thranduil’s appearance easier to materialize.

3 Sauron

The Lord Of The Rings

The character for which Peter Jackson’s most famous trilogy is named plays a starring role in the hunt for Gollum in the book. Although low on specifics, Tolkien mentioned that at some point during Gandalf and Aragorn’s hunt for Gollum, Gollum strayed into Mordor and was captured by Sauron. The movie will show “the world of Middle-earth according to Gollum’s experience of it,” so if it gets this far in the story, it will probably feature Sauron in some respect (via Popverse).

It’s clear from The Lord of the Rings that Gollum’s encounter with Sauron didn’t go well for Gollum, resulting in Gollum being tortured for information about the One Ring. Gollum described Sauron’s hand, saying it had four fingers and was black. This is how it became clear, in the book, that Sauron had a physical body at the time – a body that The Hunt for Gollum may show.

2 Aragorn

King Elessar

In 3001, the year of Bilbo’s farewell feast, Gandalf enlists Aragorn to begin determining Gollum’s location. Gandalf and Aragorn are the main duo in this story, hunting high and low for the corrupted halfling. Aragorn’s importance in the story makes him a great candidate for inclusion in the movie. Despite this, Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen has not been confirmed for the movie.

Mortensen confirmed that he “would only do it if [he] was right for the character” in terms of his age, speaking to GQ. Mortensen looks older than he did when he played Aragorn in Jackson’s original movies, but The Hunt for Gollum would be set before that, so Mortensen no longer looks the part. However, de-aging technology could be used on Mortensen to make him look the correct age. Alternatively, Aragorn could be recast for The Hunt for Gollum.

1 Gollum

Fourth Ring-Bearer

Andy Serkis will play Gollum in The Hunt for Gollum, although no other cast has been announced. The movie will give audiences a unique and unprecedented glimpse into Gollum’s point of view, showing why the villainous ex-Hobbit acts the way he does. Gollum was scary and also sympathetic in Jackson’s movies, making him a great focal point for the new duo of movies coming out.

Serkis’ critically acclaimed Gollum will be hunted in the movie, but may not be aware of it. Gollum’s suspicious nature may be shown worsening and developing, which will provide a great backdrop to Jackson’s other movies, where Gollum was incredibly paranoid. In general, Gollum’s appearance in the movie can shed new light on one of The Lord of the Rings’ most fascinating characters.

Sources: Popverse, Deadline, GQ