Fan fictions have been a thing ever since authors/creators have been delivering their contents to the public. People make versions of their beloved characters according to their understanding and needs. Sometimes they even make it public either on the internet or in other forms of media.
The same happened when a fan of the Lord of the Rings turned his thoughts into an actual movie. The movie titled ‘The Hunt for Gollum’, follows Aragorn on the quest to find Gollum at Gandalf’s behest. Gandalf feared that Gollum would reveal the ring’s secret to Sauron. It takes place in between the events of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’, Tolkien’s two masterpieces.
The movie was completely written, directed and acted on by fans who got permission from Tolkien Enterprises in 2009. A mere budget of £3,000 turned it into a professional masterpiece and it got more than 3 million views on YouTube in 2009 only. Before getting striked by WB, it had over 15 million views.
This move raises questions over the WB’s marketing teams because if fans cannot talk about a piece of creation without getting a strike then how is WB supposed to make their movies iconic? With controversies like the DCEU?
Not only that WB removed the original idea, they even copied it and are now making a movie with the same name, directed by Andy Serkis and produced by Peter Jackson. Serkis will reprise his role of the titular character, Gollum.
