Hey, Middle-earth fans, get ready to go home! Warner Bros. dropped the bomb: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum hits theaters December 17, 2027, and we’re already one foot in Rivendell. Andy Serkis, who returns as our Gollum and also gets behind the camera, brings us back to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien with a brand new story, set in the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. With Peter Jackson and his legendary team hard at work, rumors of epic returns, and a trailer still a ways off, The Hunt for Gollum is already warming hearts. Here’s everything we know and why we can’t wait.
A Dark Adventure with Gollum
The Hunt for Gollum takes place at a precise moment in The Fellowship of the Ring: after Bilbo’s feast and before the Mines of Moria. Philippa Boyens, who wrote the screenplay, describes it as a “tough and intense” film, all seen through the eyes of Gollum, that tormented creature who drives us mad and despairs. The story delves into his past and follows the hunt orchestrated by Gandalf, worried that Gollum will tell Sauron about the One Ring. Prepare for an emotional journey, with the tragic side of Sméagol in the foreground, which could make us see Gollum in a new light.
Peter Jackson, who produces with Fran Walsh, Boyens and Zane Weiner, says that Gollum is a unique character: “He represents the worst of us, but that little bit of Sméagol is, come on, a little bit adorable.” The team wants to explore corners of his story that the previous films have only hinted at, staying true to Tolkien. The plot is still shrouded in mystery, but this focus on Gollum and his “unfinished business” has already hooked us.
Andy Serkis, the king of Middle-earth
Andy Serkis is not only the voice and body of Gollum—his motion-capture performance is the stuff of legend—but he is also the director. After Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and Venom: The Wrath of Carnage, he is ready to leave his mark on Middle-earth. The screenplay, written by Walsh, Boyens, Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, keeps the film tied to the original trilogy, which took home nearly $3 billion.
Jackson, Walsh and Boyens, who won Oscars with The Lord of the Rings, are in it up to their necks, and this gives the project that magic that makes us dream. Filming will begin in early 2026 in New Zealand, with six or seven months of prep, Serkis said. It’s one of two new Middle-earth films announced by Warner Bros., but the director of the other is still a secret. For now, The Hunt for Gollum is the big live-action return, the first since 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
Who will we see again?
For now, Serkis is the only one confirmed, but there’s talk of chilling returns. Ian McKellen said he’s talking about returning as Gandalf, laughing that his love for The Lord of the Rings never dies. Boyens confirmed that Gandalf will have a role, so McKellen seems close to saying yes. Viggo Mortensen, our Aragorn, has been approached but wants a killer script and a role that works, given that the years have passed. “It all depends on the script,” Boyens said.
Names like Orlando Bloom (Legolas) have given the project a wink, but nothing is official. New characters could appear, but the team vows to stay true to Tolkien. With the story set during The Fellowship of the Ring, there is room for familiar places and faces, but Serkis will have to play his cards right to not disappoint fans.
Why it's an unmissable event
The Hunt for Gollum follows in the tradition of the six live-action films of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, all released in December and with a total gross of over 5.9 billion dollars. Warner Bros. is aiming for Christmas 2027 for another coup, with the film that for now has the green light, even if Disney could place a Star Wars on the same day. After the flop of the anime The War of the Rohirrim (20 million in 2024), Warner knows it has to go big.
It's not without risks. Some fans are wondering if a Gollum movie is even necessary, dreaming of stories about Aragorn or Númenor. Others are worried it’s just nostalgia. But Serkis, Jackson and the team seem determined to bring something new, and the delay from 2026 to 2027 shows they want to do everything right, after criticism of the rushed pace of Rohirrim.
What’s next
With the script still in its early stages, a trailer is a ways off, but filming in 2026 promises spectacular visuals, especially for Gollum. The challenge is to recapture the magic of the original trilogy, perhaps with a little de-aging for the actors, which isn’t always perfect. But with Serkis in charge and Jackson watching our backs, we believe it. The Hunt for Gollum could be the epic return we’ve been waiting 13 years for.
