Expect some familiar faces to look younger than you remember in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Director Andy Serkis, who is also reprising the titular role that made him famous, has revealed that de-aging will be used in the next Middle-earth movie. While Serkis won’t say who exactly the technology is being used on, there are some safe bets.
When asked in an interview with Variety about the use of AI in making The Hunt for Gollum, Serkis responded, “There’s a little bit of de-aging for some of the characters and machine learning is part of the process.” Serkis said the film does not use AI in any other way. This suggests the film will not use any generative AI, which has been the subject of hot debate across artistic mediums. De-aging itself has been around for years in the film industry, with the first major use appearing in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand to de-age Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.
That piece of trivia isn’t completely irrelevant to The Hunt for Gollum, as McKellen could be a subject of de-aging in the upcoming film. After teasing his return, McKellen confirmed earlier this year that he will once again star as the wizard Gandalf in the film. Frodo Baggins actor Elijah Wood is also set to return. Both actors are potential candidates of de-aging, especially considering The Hunt for Gollum takes place concurrently with the first Lord of the Rings film. Specifically, it will most likely cover the period between Bilbo’s 111th birthday and Gandalf’s return to the Shire.
The Hunt for Gollum will likely see Gandalf sending Aragorn on a mission to find and capture Gollum. Jamie Dornan will play Aragorn, replacing Viggo Mortensen from the original films. The supporting cast will also include Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall, and Lee Pace (reprising his role as Thranduil from the Hobbit trilogy).
Although de-aging will be used, Serkis said that during production, he wanted to “bring back all of the great filmmaking skills, from miniatures to prosthetics, and marry them up.” The original Lord of the Rings trilogy has some of the most impressive practical effects ever seen on film, and it is nice to hear that Serkis wants to continue that with the new film.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to be released in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027.
