The Lord of the Rings is taking a leap of faith with its 2026 movie, risking the legacy of its former successes, but one Sauron change could make it truly brilliant. Andy Serkis will direct and star in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum movie. The movie will concern Aragorn and Gandalf’s pursuit of Gollum around the time of the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and will show Gollum’s perspective. Copying Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in the Sauron department could work wonders.

In some ways, Warner Bros. releasing a new set of Lord of the Rings movies is the safest move in the world. Few franchises are more globally beloved or likely to storm the box office. In this sense, sticking to the formula tried and tested by the previous trilogies may be attractive. But the movie may face criticism for rehashing old ideas, flogging a dead horse, or sullying Peter Jackson’s iconic LotR trilogy with an inferior movie. In setting itself apart with novel ideas and approaches to Jackson’s universe, the movie could provide an exciting and valuable addition to the franchise.

The Hunt For Gollum Should Copy The Rings Of Power’s Best Sauron Change

Sauron Should Have A Body In The Hunt For Gollum

Peter Jackson’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies were critiqued and lauded in equal measure for their disembodied Sauron, and The Hunt for Gollum copying Rings of Power’s physical Sauron may not be such a bad idea. The disembodied eye strung between the two apexes of Barad-dûr was a very creative interpretation of the texts indeed. Tolkien clearly outlined Sauron’s physical body in the Third Age. He had a blackened hand with four fingers, which he used to torture Gollum with, beckoning a more faithful Sauron for The Hunt for Gollum.

Rings of Power proves that giving Sauron a body in The Hunt for Gollum could be faithful and captivating.

It would be ridiculous to scrap the Eye of Sauron in The Hunt for Gollum since it will clearly be set in the same universe as the previous trilogies, with Ian McKellen already asked to return as Gandalf. However, there’s no reason why Sauron can’t also have a body. This ancient Wizard was a godlike being with the ability to cast spells and illusions. There’s nothing to say that the giant eye of the Jackson movies wasn’t just one of Sauron’s spells, rather than Sauron himself. Rings of Power proves that giving Sauron a body in The Hunt for Gollum could be faithful and captivating.

Why The Rings Of Power’s Sauron Is A More Compelling Villain Than LOTR’s

Sauron Is Characterized More In Rings Of Power

The Rings of Power has now been through more different physical iterations of Sauron than seasons, and it has been a wickedly enjoyable ride. Peter Jackson’s Sauron was terrifying, perpetuating a truly oppressive sense of tyranny and inescapable control. This Orwellian approach did what it had to do, but every little facial expression of The Rings of Power’s physical Sauron is mindblowing, for the mere fact of shedding unprecedented light on literature’s greatest villain. The Hunt for Gollum could recreate this intrigue by teasing Sauron’s physical appearance.

Hunt for Gollum would be missing a huge opportunity not to show Gollum’s torture scene and how Sauron physically appears, as well as a few other snippets of Sauron being a Dark Lord around Barad-dûr. But the movie can retain what was great about the previous trilogies by keeping the villain shrouded in mystery, and only revealing tiny parts of his appearance. Or, perhaps, tiny parts of his appearance at a time. Perhaps he even retains certain elements of Sala Baker’s Sauron from The Fellowship of the Ring’s prologue. The cinema ticket would be worth just a glimpse of that helmet.

A New Approach To Sauron May Not Work With The Hunt For Gollum’s Timeline

Second Age Sauron Is Different To Third Age Sauron

There are, of course, a few reasons why it could be a challenge to present a slightly novel version of Sauron in Hunt for Gollum. Rings of Power is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, when Sauron still had use of his shapeshifting abilities. By the time of the War of the Ring, Sauron can no longer assume a fair form. That means that fair forms like the Halbrand or Annatar of Rings of Power are immediately out. Rings of Power’s Sauron is a far more fully rounded character than the villain of the Jackson movies, but his Second Age status enables this to a certain extent.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is expected to come out sometime in 2026.

The Rings of Power’s Sauron leans into a complex kind of evil, complete with a wide range of emotions, from happiness and relief to despair and anger. While a genuinely feeling individual, fair form Sauron faked a lot of his behavior to deceive those around him, putting on smiles and courtesy in line with his undercover mission. The Third Age Sauron would be well past deceit, relying on brute force and strategy to reach his goals. Therefore, Hunt for Gollum wouldn’t demand the same intriguing, varied, unpredictable presence.

In line with having a physical presence, applying just a small amount of characterization to Sauron would work well, so he was more than just a distant threat.

The Necromancer of The Hobbit movies and the Eye of The Lord of the Rings movies are more clean-cut evil as far as villains go. But as with his physical appearance, Sauron’s personality in The Hunt for Gollum could take some pointers from Rings of Power too. In line with having a physical presence, applying just a small amount of characterization to Sauron would work well, so he was more than just a distant threat. Whether a narcissistic megalomaniac, a brooding mystery, or a commanding leader, Sauron has huge potential in The Lord of the Rings’ upcoming movie.