After announcing a new The Lord of the Rings film, WB has issued a copyright strike against a super-popular fan film of the same name, but has since taken it back.
When yesterday’s news of a new The Lord of the Rings film, with the working title The Hunt for Gollum, arrived yesterday morning, it didn’t take long for fans to make a connection. The title implies the story could cover the period of time during Fellowship of the Ring, when Gandalf is off gathering information and Sauron begins sending his forces out into the world in search of the One Ring.
It’s a bit of history covered in the novels appendices, and explains the nearly two decades of time between Gandalf telling Frodo to “keep it secret, keep it safe” and when he returned and set Frodo upon his fateful quest. The timespan is largely glossed over in the movies, but with the new film on the horizon, something that could easily be fudged out for viewers).
As many fans noted yesterday, however, there was already a fan film released in 2009 that covered that story and even went by “The Hunt for Gollum” title. It was a massive undertaking for a fan film, despite being made on a shoestring budget. Director Chris Bouchard even got the “okay” from Tolkien Enterprises so long as it remained a non-profit endeavor. The quality of the 40-minute film landed numerous accolades and major media attention. In the years since it’s release (for free, of course), it’s amassed nearly 15 million views and is still highly regarded.
Following the official Hunt for Gollum announcement, WB issued a copyright strike on the fan film, which blocked it from being viewable on YouTube. Fans were…not happy and were quick to let their ire show online.
Early this morning, though, the film has been restored on YouTube with the studio saying the takedown request was issued “in error,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s a tough excuse to swallow considering the timing of everything, but for the moment at least, LOTR fans can still watch/enjoy the impressive fan film.
Hopefully it stays this way. Fans are a huge reason why Lord of the Rings have endured all these decades, and fan endeavors like these short films do a great deal to keep the community alive and thriving. While the upcoming film may, indeed, follow a similar story, completely removing the hard work from fans after all this time felt incredibly petty and like shooting themselves in the foot.
All that said, go and check out The Hunt for Gollum short while you still can!
