Gollum Is Inspired By Joaquin Phoenix’s The Joker In New Lord Of The Rings Movie, Says Peter Jackson

Speaking with IndieWire at the Cannes Film Festival, Jackson explained how the psychological elements that will be explored in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum were inspired by Phoenix's role as The Joker. The producer explained how this cerebral storytelling approach was an inspiration for how their movie will portray Gollum, digging into his mind and how it works from his perspective. This makes the story more "internal" from the titular character's perspective, as he becomes centralized by the plot that will unfold.

Check out what Jackson had to say below:

We were thinking about the original ‘Joker’ film, the one with Joaquin Phoenix. The way that explored the Joker’s psychology while it was telling a story. We’ve got the story that’s in the appendices, and we’ll tell that story, but we’ll tell it from an internal Gollum perspective. You’re taking written things by Tolkien and filming them from a certain POV, and that means you have to get inside his head. I’ve got no particular desire to get inside Gollum’s head. Andy Serkis can do that himself.

Phoenix's Joker movie approaches the villain with nuance, showcasing his perspective through a psychological lens that allows for various, unique approaches to the storyline. This includes numerous shifts in reality, a deeper look at the way he thinks, and reasons why he does what he does. This translated to Gollum's character in The Hunt for Gollum would provide a deeper perspective from the character that hasn't been seen in much other content in The Lord of the Rings franchise.

The closest attempt made to show Gollum's perspective in contemporary Middle-earth media was in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum video game, released in 2023 by Daedalic Entertainment. Unfortunately, the game received universally negative reception, which resulted in the closure of Daedalic's development team, pivoting to becoming a publisher-only company. In a movie format, however, if the approach to Gollum can emulate something like Joker, there may be more room to properly navigate his mindset, thus delivering a presentation befitting his character.

The Hunt for Gollum is just one of multiple projects in The Lord of the Rings franchise currently in development. Prime Video's The Rings of Power season 3 begins airing on November 11, 2026, while Stephen Colbert is writing The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, set 14 years after Jackson's original trilogy. But, based on Jackson's statement, it seems Gollum's story will be one of the more unique ones given the approach it will have to translating his psyche onto the big screen.

With the movie still over a year and a half away from release, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum's approach is vastly different from the other movies. Its centralizing of Gollum as the core character ensures the story will have a deep focus on his psychology, pulling inspiration from places like Joker to ensure an engaging presentation for the tragic antagonist.