‘Hunt For Gollum’ Fan Film Restored To YouTube After Warner Bros. Slammed By Angry ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Fans: “Deplorable And Despicable”

Lord of the Rings fans were not happy to learn a fan-made film, The Hunt for Gollum, was blocked on YouTube after Warner Bros. announced that the franchise would be getting an official new installment by the same name.

A fan announced the news on the Lord of the Rings subreddit page, noting that the “high quality fan-made short film… has been taken down by Warner Bros.”

Fans reacted strongly to the news. “Honestly this deed, removing this film, is deplorable and despicable,” one fan wrote.

“You want people to boycott your film? That’s how you do it,” another commented.

The Hunt for Gollum was blocked Thursday (May 9), with the message, “This video contains content from Warner Bros. Entertainment, who has blocked it on copyright grounds.”

Much to fans’ relief, the video was swiftly restored by this morning.

The fan-made film from Independent Online Cinema, which has reached 13 million views since its 2009 release, includes a disclaimer at the start, reading, “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.”

Independent Online Cinema issued a brief statement on the movie once it was reinstated on YouTube, writing, “We’re back, thanks to WB for being so understanding to us as fans and artists. We’re very positive and excited for what the new movie will be at fan film THFG HQ. Meanwhile glad people can watch this our low-budget effort at the story.”

The controversial move to block the film came just after Warner Bros. announced that Gollum actor Andy Serkis would be starring in and directing a new installment, titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

The film is still in the early stages of development. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav stated that Peter Jackson, who directed the LOTR and The Hobbit trilogies, “will be involved every step of the way” as co-producer, along with his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, per Variety.

Serkis’ statement shows just how committed he is to his iconic character.

“Yesssss, Precious,” he said. “The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa. With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”   

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is expected to premiere in theaters in 2026.