Warner Bros. has stirred controversy shortly after announcing its new “Lord of the Rings” film by taking down the beloved fan-made production “The Hunt for Gollum” citing copyright infringement.
In a surprising move, Warner Bros. set its sights on a fan-made production dating back to 2009 shortly after unveiling the new installment in the Lord of the Rings series. The fan film, which shares the same title as WB’s upcoming adventure and has garnered over 13 million views to date, was removed from YouTube citing copyright concerns.
Details about the new Lord of the Rings film bearing the same name as “The Hunt for Gollum” emerged yesterday, bearing the signatures of Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema. Produced by Peter Jackson, the project will precede the events of “The Fellowship of the Ring” and focus on the character of Gollum.
The decision to both reprise the role of Gollum and take the director’s chair in “The Hunt for Gollum” marks the end of another production for Andy Serkis, who famously portrayed Gollum in the trilogy.
Warner Bros.’ Decision on Fan-Made “The Hunt for Gollum” Sparks Backlash Warner Bros. has filed a copyright lawsuit against the fan film of the same name, which has been available on the YouTube platform for 15 years. The fan film, created by Independent Online Cinema in 2009 and viewed over 13.6 million times on YouTube, now displays a “video unavailable” message for those attempting to view it.
The notification states, “This video contains content from Warner Bros. Entertainment, who has blocked it on copyright grounds”
Fans of the series have expressed their discontent with Warner Bros.’ ruthless policy. A Reddit user, Delicious_Series3869, criticized WB’s decision, stating,
“That’s so lame. These greedy fucks can’t help but hoard every penny, like Smaug. The video already had 13M views, and was peacefully existing for all these years.”
“The Hunt for Gollum” will be the first of two new live-action Lord of the Rings films. David Zaslav, CEO and President of Warner Bros., announced that the production will “explore untold stories.”
Meanwhile, New Line Cinema’s another Middle-earth adaptation, “The War of the Rohirrim,” is set to premiere in 2024. This anime-format production will delve into the story of Rohan King Helm Hammerhand.
Prime Video, on the other hand, is gearing up for the preparations of the second season of “The Rings of Power.”
How do you interpret Warner Bros.’ decision to remove the fan-made production “The Hunt for Gollum” citing copyright infringement? Share your opinions in the comments below.
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Last modified: June 10, 2024
