Lord of the Rings The Hunt For Gollum: What Is The Fiasco Between Warner Bros. and Independent Online Cinema YouTube Channel; Explained
A celebrated 15-year-old, fan-made Lord of the Rings film titled Hunt for Gollum has been officially restored on YouTube after it was briefly taken down by Warner Bros.
![The Hunt for Gollum (PC: YouTube) Exploring The Fiasco Between Warner Bros. and Independent Online Cinema YouTube Channel](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-05/1728389509_hunt-for-gollum-2.jpg)
Warner Bros., Peter Jackson, and Andy Serkis are set to make a new Lord of the Rings movie, causing excitement among fans and the internet. However, just one day after announcing the working title of WB's new LotR movie, The Hunt for Gollum, a popular fan-made project with the same title was removed from YouTube.
WB had the fan-made The Hunt for the Gollum taken off the YouTube content platform on copyright grounds. It’s more than likely that the 15-year-old fan film contained the same story concept that’s currently fueling the new project under the leadership of Peter Jackson and his fellow writers, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who had worked with him on the previous projects related to the LotR franchise.
Warner Bros. banned a 15 years old Lord of the Rings fan-made movie
Chris Bouchard directed a fan-made version of The Hunt for Gollum, which lasted 39 minutes and garnered 13 million views before being removed from WB's content platform. This marks 13 million die-hard LotR fans eagerly awaiting the movie's release.
The project, which has accrued over 13 million views, previously displayed an alert that read: “This video contains content from Warner Bros. Entertainment, who has blocked it on copyright grounds.”
Warner Bros.' temporary blocking of the project comes less than a day after it announced it would be releasing two new Lord of the Rings films, one of which is similarly titled Lord of the Rings: the Hunt for Gollum.
Andy Serkis is set to executive produce, direct, and star in the upcoming film, which is based on a screenplay by LOTR and Hobbit screenwriters Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou.
“Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle-earth Peter [Jackson], Fran and Philippa,” Serkis said in a press release. "With [Warner Bros. film chiefs] Mike [De Luca] and Pam [Abdy], and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our film-making family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”
Lord of the Rings: the Hunt for Gollum is one of two projects that Jackson, Boyens, and Walsh are set to produce for Warner Bros. in the next few years.
“It is an honor and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker — Gollum!” they said in a joint statement. “As lifelong fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy, and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”
The fan-made film has been restored on YouTube following Warner Bros. ban
The 15-year-old Lord of the Rings fan film titled The Hunt for Gollum is back online and streaming on YouTube after it was temporarily blocked. It was restored on YouTube by the morning of May 10.nThe fan film, which centers on Gandalf tasking Aragorn with hunting down Gollum before the latter can find Frodo and the One Ring, has earned 13 million views since its debut more than a decade ago.
The narrative of the fan-made movie is set during the opening act, The Fellowship of the Ring, and filled in a quest that was only briefly discussed by the same-name movie. As per the story, Gandalf asks Aragorn to hunt for Gollum to find out more about Frodo’s magic ring.
So the Strider embarks on a series of adventures and eventually traps and loses Gollum whilst also being hunted by orcs and Ringwraiths. Gollum is then captured by the Elves of Mirkwood and eventually interrogated by Gandalf.
The film begins with the following disclaimer, “‘The Hunt For Gollum’ is a non-profit film for private use only, and is not intended for sales of any sort. It is in no way affiliated with, or sponsored or approved, by Tolkien Enterprises, the heirs or estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. or any of their respective affiliates or licensees. The content is for the private use of the viewer and should not be sold, rented, or used for any commercial enterprise in any way, shape, or form. We make no claim to any characters, storylines, prop designs, names, logos or situations that are trademarked, copyrighted or otherwise protected by federal, state, international or other intellectual property law.”
The filmmakers behind the fan film added, “This work is produced solely for the personal, uncompensated enjoyment of ourselves and other Tolkien fans.”
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