Warner Bros Slashes Fanmade Film After ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Movie Announcement

Photo 151520357 © Neydtstock | Dreamstime.com

This week, a cloud loomed over the usually celebratory world of Tolkien fandom. Warner Bros, the studio behind the beloved Lord of the Rings trilogies, took down a 15-year-old fan film titled The Hunt for Gollum after announcing its own upcoming film with the same title.

The fan project, created by the Independent Online Cinema YouTube channel and uploaded in 2008, had garnered over 13 million views on YouTube before being removed due to a copyright claim.

The takedown comes shortly after Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced a new series of Lord of the Rings films. The first installment, titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, will be directed by Andy Serkis, who brought Gollum to life in Peter Jackson’s original trilogies. While Jackson won’t be directing, he will be involved as a producer alongside his longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

The removal of the fan film has ignited some disappointment online. One fan expressed their frustration on Reddit, comparing the studio to the greedy dragon Smaug.

Today, viewers trying to play the video will be faced with the message, “The video contains content from Warner Bros Entertainment, who has blocked it on copyright grounds.”

[via IGN and Hollywood Reporter, cover photo 151520357 © Neydtstock | Dreamstime.com]