It is official; we are going back to Middle-earth for another bout of Lord of the Rings films. Having already adapted the original novels and The Hobbit into features, it seems Warner Bros. has decided that this is the right moment to dive into a new round of Lord of the Rings films. The material is there, and under the watchful eyes of Jackson and Walsh, the studio hopes that they can turn this newest adventure into box office gold once again. So without further ado, here's everything we know about The Hunt for Gollum.
The Hunt for Gollum
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The first of the two films, tentatively titled The Hunt for Gollum, is set to hit theaters in fall 2027. Andy Serkis, renowned for his portrayal of Gollum in both The Lord of the Rings and its prequel trilogy The Hobbit, reprises his role not only as the iconic character but also takes on the role of director for this film. Serkis has already made his mark in the director’s chair with 2018’s Mowgli, a dark and serious take on Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book.
Famous for bringing to life fantastic characters through stunning motion capture work, Serkis has his work cut out for him with this new feature. The film must work at the box office, especially since Warner Bros remains in dire straits financially and their last foray into Lord of the Rings, the animated War of Rohirrim feature, failed to take off.
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The creative minds behind the entire franchise, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, return once more as producers. The Hunt for Gollum is expected to go behind the cameras pretty soon and is targeting a December 2027 release date, although a small delay might not be unlikely as well.
Under a lot of debt and having fewer and fewer of their films becoming bona fide box office hits, Warner Bros decided to do the one thing that every studio does when it finds itself underwater: going back to the IP that worked and trying to farm it once more. WB is no stranger to this, as they already made The Hobbit into a trilogy (and a very successful one at that) and are now redoing Harry Potter for 10 years on HBO Max.
The Hunt for Gollum
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For those who forgot, The Last Hobbit film came out in 2014, which feels like a century ago. After Embracer Group acquired the rights to Middle-earth, Warner Bros. and New Line quickly struck a new deal to produce more live-action films set in Tolkien’s world. In May 2024, the studios officially announced to the public that two new films were in development, with Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens returning once again in a producing role. The initial feature, The Hunt for Gollum, has its screenwriters as Walsh, Boyens, Gittins, and Papageorgiou.
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In September 2024, Ian McKellen — Gandalf himself — revealed that The Hunt for Gollum will be split into two films, similar to how The Hobbit was divided into three. As this spread like wildfire, producer Boyens came forward to state that The Hunt for Gollum is definitely a single movie, although there is another film after that. She also made it clear that both films will involve Gandalf. Hyping up the film, Boyens stated that the Hunt for Gollum would be a fantastic adventure. “It’s quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria,” she explains. “It’s a specific chunk of an incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature.”
The Hunt for Gollum
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Before the Hunt for Gollum, Warner Bros had already broadened the Lord of the Rings franchise into the realm of animation with the animated feature film Lord of the Rings: The War for Rohirrim. Released late last year, the film told the story of Hera and Helm Hammerhand as they band together to save their kingdom from total annihilation. While the primary justification for making this film was to retain the rights, what was equally important was to judge audience interest in Lord of the Rings media that were not live-action features. Regrettably, the film failed, and all other animated projects in the franchise are now on hold.
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What is even more alarming is the fact that Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power television series has failed to pique audience interest as well. Already in production on Season 3, The Rings of Power focuses on the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Amazon has spent more than half a billion dollars on three seasons, but audience interest remains muted.
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Although there has been no official synopsis about the Hunt for Gollum, it is clear from Boyens’ comments that the film will focus on Aragorn in search of Gollum before Frodo starts his journey with the One Ring. Viggo Mortenstien is open to returning but will obviously have to go through digital de-aging, as the last time we saw him as Aragorn was over twenty years ago. Ian McKellen has already been confirmed, and Orlando Bloom has hinted that he’ll be returning too. We still don't know the extent of these characters' are with respect to the story, and if other famous characters from the franchise will be back as well.
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The Lord of the Rings is arguably the sole franchise in Hollywood that is currently immune to a reboot, as Warner Bros. acknowledges the significant goodwill that audiences hold for this franchise. It is therefore exciting to go back to Middle-earth once more with the original creative team of Jackson, Walsh, and Serkis. With both Rings of Power and War for Rohirrim failing for various reasons, this original team returning to make a direct prequel to the original trilogy is a gift. Obviously, the film will look and feel fantastic, but what is most important is that it is able to resonate emotionally with the fans. We are hopeful that Serkis will be able to deliver and can't wait to see what he is able to accomplish here.
