Lord Of The Rings’ New Movie Will Answer A Major Mystery That Tolkien Never Did

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The upcoming movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, feels like a story we’ve seen before. Based on the title, it appears the film will take place between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, showing the period when everyone was searching for the One Ring.

Sauron has returned to Mordor and is searching for his most prized possession. Meanwhile, Gollum roams the darkest parts of Middle-earth, constantly muttering curses against someone named Baggins. Gandalf and Aragorn are starting to fear that Sauron is trying to regain his full strength by finding the lost ring.

The world of The Lord of the Rings briefly touches on this time, and audiences will immediately recognize the scenery as it appears. However, The Hunt for Gollum will provide solutions to questions that even J.R.R. Tolkien himself never fully answered.

Prepare To See Inside Sauron’s Lair In The Lord Of The Rings’ Next Movie

As a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings, I’ve always been fascinated by Barad-dûr, Sauron’s fortress in Mordor. It’s such a key place in the story, and Peter Jackson’s films really showcased it – though mostly just what it looked like from the outside.

Barad-dûr is a towering, dark, and menacing fortress – the very picture of evil architecture with its sharp, shadowy spires and majestic shape. However, unlike the tower of Orthanc, no one ever enters Barad-dûr in The Lord of the Rings. It remains a distant threat until it’s ultimately destroyed by hobbits. Tolkien intentionally kept the details of Barad-dûr’s design unclear, never fully describing it as he usually did with his creations. This opens the door for The Hunt for Gollum to expand on its appearance.

Considering the events described in The Hunt for Gollum, the story should depict Gollum journeying to Mordor and falling into Sauron’s hands. He’s brought to Barad-dûr and relentlessly questioned about the One Ring. Under torture, Gollum reveals the Shire as a possible location. Sauron then releases him, intending to use Gollum to find the Ring. This makes Gollum one of the few characters to ever enter Barad-dûr and survive.

The movie The Fellowship of the Ring includes a quick scene showing Gollum being tortured, but it’s difficult to make out many details. We only see a large cave and a device that looks painful, and it’s unclear if this is happening in Barad-dûr or another part of Mordor.

The story of The Hunt for Gollum is told from Gollum’s point of view, so viewers need to experience his terror after being captured and imprisoned. To do this, Barad-dûr—Sauron’s fortress—needs to be a fully developed and visually impressive location, similar to places like Rivendell and Mount Doom in Peter Jackson’s films. Seeing the intimidating scale and design of Barad-dûr in live-action would be a stunning visual, but more importantly, it would offer a fresh understanding of Sauron’s character and power.

The Problem With Showing The Inside Of Barad-dûr In Live-Action

J.R.R. Tolkien intentionally kept the details of his evil characters and places vague. He offered only hints about figures like Morgoth and Sauron, and locations like Barad-dûr, encouraging readers to create their own terrifying visions.

If The Hunt for Gollum ventures into the heart of Barad-dûr, it will face incredibly high expectations. Can a real-life depiction of Middle-earth’s most sinister location ever match the frightening image that fans have held in their imaginations for so long?

Looking at Peter Jackson’s films, the Tower of Orthanc is the closest comparison point. Saruman’s tower is beautiful, incredibly detailed, and stands out from everything else in The Lord of the Rings and most other fantasy movies. However, Orthanc was built by a skilled ancient civilization, while Barad-dûr was created by a powerful being using the magic of the One Ring. Because of this, Sauron’s tower should feel even more magical, fantastical, and intimidating. It’s the ultimate villain headquarters, and The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum needs to truly capture that feeling.

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2025-12-03 21:18