‘Hunt for Gollum': Andy Serkis Plans to Use AI & De-Age Mortensen, Wood, McKellen, Bloom

I don’t see much reporting on this. It’s definitely something that will raise eyebrows.

Orlando Bloom has confirmed that he’s been asked to return for Andy Serkis’ upcoming “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.” The film is supposed to take place right after the events of 2003’s ‘The Return of the King.’

If you’re wondering exactly how Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood, Sean Bean, Ian McKellen and Bloom can possibly come back, all of whom have aged by 20 years, then Serkis seems to have found an answer to the problem, and it might turn out to be very controversial.

Bloom tells Variety that he’s spoken to Serkis about the upcoming film, and that he was told there are potential plans to de-age the actors by using AI technology …

I really don’t know what [they are planning]. I did speak to Andy [Serkis] and he did say they were thinking about how to do things. I was like, ‘How would that even work?’ And he was like, ‘Well, AI!’ and I was like, ‘Oh, OK!’ It was a pretty magical time in my life, and it’s one of those things where there’s not a downside to it.

I’m torn on this issue, especially since I’m not entirely sure if de-aging tech has evolved enough since Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” which is one of the main examples most people refer to when talking about the de-aging process in film. It’s not just “The Irishman.” More recently, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “The Flash” and Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming “Here” all de-aged actors.

Serkis is set to star and direct ‘The Hunt for Gollum,’ and the main cast of Peter Jackson’s trilogy have all been asked to come back, including Wood, Bloom, Mortensen, McKellen and Bean.

Serkis, a truly underrated motion capture acting pioneer, especially for his work on the ‘Planet of the Apes’ movie, has directed three films in his career (“Breathe,” “Mowgli” and “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”), but I would have hoped for Jackson to helm this film instead of him. Alas, we’ll have Serkis directing and hopefully he’ll get the job done.