J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic epic fantasy series The Lord of the Rings is returning in an all-new slate of spinoff movies, the first of which being the newly-announced The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Beginning with the publication of The Hobbit in 1937, English author J.R.R. Tolkien established the fictional realm of Middle-earth and populated it with some of the most beloved fantasy characters and adventures in literary history. Expanding across his trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, throughout the 1950s, Tolkien is very much responsible for the way fantasy stories are told.

Naturally, the entire Middle-earth saga made for gripping entertainment, and it didn’t take long for the series to be adapted into various animated films, live-action films, games, and TV shows. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy redefined the blockbuster in the early 2000s when it raked in high profits at the box office and won a slew of Oscars. Though Jackson’s Hobbit series faltered, interest has remained high in Middle-earth content across the years and a brand-new spinoff movie is in the work enтιтled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum Latest News

The Spinoff Movie Is Delayed By A Year

Even as the project begins to solidify into something more tangible, the latest news confirms that The Hunt for Gollum has been delayed by a year. Originally slated to hit theaters in December 2026, director Andy Serkis has now revealed that it won’t arrive until December 2027. While appearing at the 2025 Fan Expo in Vancouver, Canada, Serkis explained that “We are right at the beginning of the writing process. We will be prepping later this year.” Based on what Serkis has said, the pre-production aspects of the film are taking longer than anticipated.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for The Hunt for Gollum, and it’s clear that Serkis and the rest of the creative team are determined to get the story right before moving ahead. In an era of endless franchise movies that seem to see increasingly diminishing returns in both quality and box office, Serkis’ care for the Lord of the Rings series is rare and bodes well for The Hunt for Gollum.

Read Serkis’ full comments here:

”Yeah, it is not 2026. It was originally going to be December 2026. It is going to be December 2027. We are right at the beginning of the writing process. We will be prepping later this year. Prep takes a good chunk of time, six or seven months, and then we will be shooting next year. So, it backs into that December 2027 release date.”

The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum Is Confirmed

A New Lord Of The Rings Movie Series Is Planned

Not long after it was revealed that plans were in place to expand the franchise, it was announced that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum was in development. The reveal of the planned off-shoot of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy comes two decades after the release of Return of the King in 2003, and will see Andy Serkis take on a new role as the film’s director. Serkis is perhaps most famous for playing Gollum in the original trilogy but his career has blossomed beyond motion-capture roles.

The news of the movie was revealed by Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav in an earnings call in early May 2024, and it comes H๏τ on the heels of other major shifts in the epic Middle-Earth franchise. The Hunt for Gollum was slated for a 2026 release but has since been delayed to 2027. Shooting will begin in 2026, and it isn’t clear if Serkis will be playing Gollum again or merely directing. However, considering it was his starmaking role, the likelihood of Serkis not reprising his role as the twisted former Hobbit seems quite low.

The Lord of the Rings cinematic franchise consists of:

The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum Cast

Is Andy Serkis Returning As Gollum?

Because not much is known about the planned Lord of the Rings film, the cast of The Hunt for Gollum has not been announced yet. However, the return of Andy Serkis as the director seems to suggest that he will reprise his role as Gollum and presumably his alter-ego Sméagol as well. No other characters have been revealed either, and it is difficult to pin down exactly who could reprise their roles from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. Gandalf and Aragorn seem like logical returns considering the movie’s тιтle, but it isn’t certain if Sir Ian McKellen or Viggo Mortensen would return.

Sir Ian McKellan offered a cheeky response to reprising the Gandalf role, joking that he would play the part again “If I’m alive.” However, McKellan mentioned he had been approached in September 2024. The likelihood of Gandalf’s return is uncertain, and even with CGI de-aging effects, it might be too late for the celebrated actor to return. Similarly, Viggo Mortensen is open to playing Aragorn again, but explained that it would have to make sense story-wise.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum Story

Various Characters Hunt The One Ring

Even if Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav didn’t reveal any story details when he announced the film, the тιтle of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum offers a big story tease. Since Gollum died at the end of Return of the King, the movie will undoubtedly be a prequel that follows the eponymous character at another point in his life. When exactly the new Gollum movie takes place in the timeline is unknown, but there is one very likely place.

Though it was glossed over in the film trilogy, Aragorn and Gandalf spend a long time hunting for Gollum in order to make sure he doesn’t tip off Sauron about Frodo’s mission in The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum probably takes place in that time frame, which does present some narrative challenges. Since Aragorn and Gandalf are the ones doing the hunting, the film will likely center on their adventure. However, both actors have aged 20 years since The Return of the King. This means it could also fill in what happened to Gollum during that period.