The Lord of the Rings is a historical franchise, and it has three more movies in the pipeline, but the third is confusing following the confirmation that Gandalf will probably feature in it. A resuscitation of The Lord of the Rings is hugely welcome, and likewise the reappearance of Gandalf, one of Lord of the Rings’ best characters. But Gandalf’s appearance in Warner Bros.’ upcoming planned movie raises many questions. That includes Gandalf’s role, considering that the bulk of his story will likely have already been covered by other movies by then.

Gandalf isn’t set to appear in the 2024 anime movie The War of the Rohirrim, but he is all but confirmed for the subsequent movie, The Hunt for Gollum, covering Gandalf’s search for Gollum. Ian McKellen has already been asked by Warner Bros. to return as Gandalf in The Hunt for Gollum, and he expressed his enthusiasm (Deadline). Lord of the Rings producer and writer Philippa Boyens confirmed that Gandalf will probably appear in The Hunt for Gollum’s follow-up movie but didn’t confirm the movie’s plot, making its premise perplexing.

Gandalf Returning For A Second New Lord Of The Rings Movie Makes The Story Confusing

Gandalf’s Role In The Second New LOTR Movie Is Unclear

Gandalf’s role in The Hunt for Gollum movie is reasonably clear, but what part he could have in a follow-up remains to be seen. Warner Bros. originally confirmed that, following The War of the Rohirrim, a duo of new movies would be released, suggesting a continuity between the two. However, Philipa Boyens confirmed that The Hunt for Gollum “isn’t two films“ (Empire). From Boyens’ comments, it seems that there may be little to no relation between The Hunt for Gollum and its follow-up, leaving Gandalf’s role in Warner Bros.’ third planned LotR movie uncertain.

If Warner Bros.’ third LotR movie, presumably planned for 2028 or a similar time, was a sequel to Hunt for Gollum, Gandalf’s role could be presumed. Boyens confirmed to Empire that The Hunt for Gollum’s story “falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria” and is a “specific chunk of… untold story.” Told across two movies, this story could see Gandalf chase Gollum through Mirkwood, Rhovanion, and Mordor. But as a separate venture to Hunt for Gollum, the third movie would likely tell a different Gandalf story, which will necessitate it digging deep into the legendarium.

Which Gandalf Story Another The Lord Of The Rings Movie Could Tell

There Are A Few Gandalf Tales To Tell

Following The War of the Rohirrim and The Hunt for Gollum, the next Lord of the Rings movie could tell a Gandalf story from the early Third Age. Boyens confirmed that Warner Bros.’ third new Lord of the Rings movie wouldn’t necessarily be a Hunt for Gollum sequel and even implied it may not even necessarily be live-action. She said “We have an absolute banger of a second film that would just be incredible as an anime,” leaving the details obscure. Regardless of its format, the mysterious movie may look to Gandalf’s arrival in Middle-earth for source material.

Tolkienian Age
Event Marking The Start
Years
Total Length In Solar Years

Before time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Indeterminate

Days before Days
The Ainur entered Eä
1 – 3,500 Valian Years
33,537

Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.)
Yavanna created the Two Trees
Y.T. 1 – 1050
10,061

First Age (F.A.)
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen

Second Age (S.A.)
The War of Wrath ended
S.A. 1 – 3441
3,441

Third Age (T.A.)
The Last Alliance defeated Sauron
T.A. 1 – 3021
3,021

Warner Bros.’ Hunt for Gollum follow-up may not have enough source material to tell a story that occurs after the events of The Hunt for Gollum. Most of Gandalf’s impressive moments in the late Third Age happen during Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. The movie may turn to Gandalf’s first appearance in Middle-earth for its subject matter. According to LotR’s appendices, Gandalf arrived at the Grey Havens by ship around the year 1000 of the Third Age and urged an attack on Dol Guldur around 2000 years later, which could make an interesting movie premise.

Is The Lord Of The Rings Franchise Relying Too Much On Gandalf?

Warner Bros Could Be Overusing Gandalf

Gandalf’s mysterious appearance in a Lord of the Rings movie following The Hunt for Gollum makes it seem as if the LotR franchise may be relying on Gandalf too much. This movie could tell the story of Gandalf’s early days on Middle-earth, or it could even, radically, tell the story of Gandalf’s existence in the Timeless Halls. There is source material for the third new Lord of the Rings movie to play with within its rights, but it is very briefly outlined, rather than fully fleshed out. Perhaps Warner Bros. is exploiting Gandalf’s commercial appeal without fair basis.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power seasons 1 and 2 can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Creative integrity and faithfulness will always be raised regarding Lord of the Rings adaptations, because high fantasy master J.R.R Tolkien created such a widely loved story. And so it should be – it is good that fans will unfailingly hold Warner Bros. and Amazon Prime Video to account regarding their Lord of the Rings productions. It could be that Gandalf is being used by Warner Bros. as a Lord of the Rings mascot of sorts, shepherding viewers into the cinema, while Gandalf’s role was shoehorned into the narrative.

Frodo actor Elijah Wood expressed his confidence in The Lord of the Rings’ creative integrity going forward…

It is possible that a Gandalf cameo in Warner Bros.’ third planned Lord of the Rings movie could involve straying from Tolkien’s narrative excessively, entailing a compromise in faithfulness. However, Boyens didn’t confirm the prevalence of Gandalf’s role in any of the upcoming movies. Plus, Warner Bros. could acquire one-off rights to relevant parts of the legendarium, as Amazon did for Rings of Power. Frodo actor Elijah Wood expressed his confidence in The Lord of the Rings’ creative integrity going forward, stating “there’s so many different stories they could tell” (Inverse).

Sources: Deadline, Empire, Inverse