Dominic Corry: entertainment journalist and film reviewer on the new Lord of the Rings project set to enter production

Kate Winslet is set to return to New Zealand shores for a new role in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is set to start production this year.

Andy Serkis is set to reprise his role as Gollum and direct the movie, and Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood are set to return too. 

Entertainment journalist and film reviewer Dominic Corry says there's clear demand for new Lord of the Rings content among film fans.

"It still feels rather under-exploited, if that's a word we can use. And also, I still think there's a huge amount of goodwill on the audience's side for this franchise." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now we've got some big news for the film industry
in New Zealand. Kate Winsletter is coming here to film
another Lord of the Rings film. It's called The Hunt
for Gollum. Ian McAllen and Elijah Wood are also expected
to be connected to this thing. Film reviewer Dominic Corry
is with us now.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hi, Dominic, Hi, Heather mad do you reckon there's an
appetite for more of the Lord of the Rings stuff?

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Absolutely? I think, sort of from two angles, there's an
appetite for it. You know, Hollywood is so based on
intellectual property these days. It's all about known stories and characters,
and with things like Star Wars in the Marvel universe,
you could argue that they've run them into the ground.
And even though there's no shortage of Lord of the
Rings material out there, it's still, relatively speaking, still feels

(00:42):
rather under exploited, if that's a word we can use.
And also I think that there's still a huge amount
of goodwill on the audience's side for this franchise. In fact,
every year that passes that original trilogy just seems better
and better because we're now realizing that it was the
last gasp of a kind of tangible, practical form of
blockbuster film making that will probably never be mounted again,

(01:03):
including in this new one where you know, the Hobbit
films were a lot more digital than the original trilogy,
but just the fact that they built all that armor
and got the Alvin cloaks and all that kind of thing.
I think people are just have so much good will
with that franchise as part of you know, as partly
as a result of that tangibility.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
So is there a chance that this too, Lord, I'm
probably going out on a limb here, Dominic. Is there
a chance that turns into something like the Marvel universe
or you know, any of the DC universe where you
just have all these off spinning stories that go on
for decades.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
There's a strong chance of that. In fact, I'm concerned
that that is the case a few.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
Years ago, because it devalues the integrity of the property,
and market forces demand this kind of project, and you
could That's why I said the sort of an appetite
from all angles.

Speaker 3 (01:58):
It's been a long time since you had a live
action Lord of the Rings movie. People don't be seen
to be paying a huge amount of attention to that
TV show, So Peter Jackson associated Rings project would generate
a lot of excitement, I think, but we haven't. As
I said, we haven't run it into the ground yet.
But also a couple of years ago, there was this
animated film, The War of the Row here or a

(02:20):
year ago, and I understand part of the reason that
was made is that when you make a deal for
these characters and these intellectual property rights, you have to
make a film every certain number of years to maintain them.
And I gather that was not the official reason, but
I gether that's partly why that animated film exists, and
so they can't sort of sit around on their hands

(02:41):
for too long. They kind of got to get something
going to maintain the ownership.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Interesting. All right, Dominic, thanks for that app I'm glad.
I'm glad that.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Well, I was just gonna say, I'm glad that you
sound happy about it, but you don't, actually, Dominic Corey
film Reviewer, Well, I tell you what I'm glad about.
I'm glad that I actually nailed it with my question
because I thought Jesus is going to come off real
stupid in a minute, isn't it. But then it wasn't
as stupid now apparently not as stupid the Hunt for Gollum. Apparently,
if you're like, where does this fit into the yarn,
there's seventeen years between Bilbo's birthday party and Frodo leaving

(03:11):
the shire, it happens.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
Then.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Also follow up question, which I should have.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Asked Dominic and didn't, was how the hell do you
make Elijah Wood look like he's a kid again. He's
like fifty years old now, but he needs to go
back to looking like that. So anyway, I look forward
to seeing how that works.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
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