Bard's Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum Return Status Clarified By Luke Evans

Luke Evans revealed whether he’s appearing in the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

The actor first joined Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth cinematic universe in the extended edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Girion, the Lord of Dale. Then he played Bard the Bowman, Girion’s descendant, in the final two installments, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

However, Evans confirmed to Variety that he won’t be in The Hunt for Gollum because his human character probably wouldn’t be alive anymore, but “Bain, my son, could be in it.” He wouldn’t say no to going back to New Zealand, where the Middle-earth films were shot, though. “Take me back to Wellington. I’d love to go!” Evans exclaimed.

Luke Evans: “I think Bain, my son, could be in it. But I think Bard doesn’t. Take me back to Wellington. I’d love to go!”

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Luke Evans: “I think Bain, my son, could be in it. But I think Bard doesn’t. Take me back to Wellington. I’d love to go!”

After playing Bard and Girion, Evans went on to star in movies like The Girl on the Train, Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast and Pinocchio, and the TV shows The Alienist and Nine Perfect Strangers.

Author J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth books first got the live-action adaptation treatment in 2001 with the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Jackson continued the trilogy with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Collectively, the three films grossed almost $3 billion, have Rotten Tomatoes scores that range from 91% to 95%, and are considered one of the best cinematic trilogies of all time. At the Oscars, The Return of the King swept the night, winning in all 11 categories for which it was nominated, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Less than a decade later, Tolkien’s The Hobbit was adapted as a three-part trilogy, with Jackson back as director after Guillermo del Toro left following production delays. The three Hobbit films earned $2.93 billion, almost matching The Lord of the Rings‘ box office total. However, critics weren’t nearly as receptive to The Hobbit as they were to its predecessor, with Rotten Tomatoes scores ranging from 59% to 74%.

Now Jackson is back in the world of Middle-earth producing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is being directed by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The story takes place between the two trilogies, with Strider/Aragorn being tasked by Gandalf to search for Gollum. Aside from directing, Serkis is also reprising the tragic titular character. Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Lee Pace are back as well, and they’ll be joined by new cast members Jamie Dornan, Kate Winslet, Anya Taylor-Joy and Leo Woodall.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released in theaters on Friday, December 17, 2027.