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SciFi Wire is reporting today that the Lord of the Rings fan-produced film The Hunt for Gollum, which premiered online Sunday night, broke up its server space with over 250,000 views in its first 24 hours.

To date, the video has received over 400,000 views via host DailyMotion, which is currently offering both high definition and standard definition versions of the 38 min. long film. The film follows the story of the story of Strider and Gandalf as they attempt to keep the ring a secret. As Sauron prepares to unleash his armies unto Middle Earth, they race to find Gollum, who has crucial knowledge as to the Ring’s location.

Thus far the response from fans appears to be positive. Speaking with SciFi Wire, director and executive producer Chris Bouchard said, “I was shocked, actually, because I was expecting a lot of stick for interpretations. We thought maybe the actors, they’ve got a lot to live up against trying to play [roles played by] Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen. On the whole, the comments from people who’ve watched it so far have been really nice. We’ve definitely had some good nitpicks as well, but we’re quite surprised they’ve been so nice.”

You can see the trailer for the short below, or just check out the entire 40 minute affair over on DailyMotion.