The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum was initially slated for 2026, but an update from Andy Serkis confirms the movie will be delayed — and the reason for pushing it back actually seems sound. The Hunt for Gollum is part of Warner Bros. plan to expand its Lord of the Rings IP, an undertaking that may prove more difficult than it seems. The War of the Rohirrim‘s box office performance doesn’t bode well for the studio’s new era of Lord of the Rings projects, but The Hunt for Gollum could be a return to form.
This is especially true given that it takes place amid the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. The potential return of familiar characters from The Lord of the Rings makes The Hunt for Gollum more likely to draw crowds, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer before it comes to theaters. While the upcoming film has not been officially pushed from Warner Bros.’ 2026 schedule yet, Serkis’ update from Fan Expo Vancouver (via The Direct) confirms it will come out in 2027. This puts its release a year later than planned, but it’s certainly better than rushing the project.
Why The Hunt For Gollum Is Being Delayed From 2026 To 2027
The Hunt for Gollum‘s delay from December 2026 to December 2027 is being chalked up to the movie’s development and production timeline, which seems to necessitate more time. That’s the reasoning Gollum actor Andy Serkis, who is directing the upcoming film, gave at Fan Expo Vancouver. He noted that the new Lord of the Rings film is still in the early stages of writing, which means it won’t begin filming until next year. As Serkis noted, this means it likely won’t be ready until 2027:
“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.”
Production on the project could take most of 2026, and that’s not accounting for the work that needs to be done in post-production. A December 2027 debut gives The Hunt for Gollum a generous amount of time to film, complete the finishing touches, and market the movie — all things that shouldn’t be rushed. While it’s disappointing that the next Lord of the Rings project won’t hit theaters until late 2027, delaying its release is probably the best option given its current status.
The Reason For The Next Lord Of The Rings Movie’s Delay Is Actually Good News
It Gives Warner Bros. More Time To Get It Right
It’s for the best that the creatives behind The Hunt for Gollum aren’t rushing to meet a December 2026 release timeline, as the final product would probably suffer as a result. Rushed production is one of the things that went wrong with The Hobbit trilogy, and Warner Bros. probably isn’t eager to face similar criticisms about its next live-action Lord of the Rings movie. The War of the Rohirrim‘s unfortunate box office record puts even more pressure on the next addition to the franchise to succeed, so the studio can’t afford another miss.
Fortunately, the willingness to adjust the timeline suggests that the studio and the creators have the movie’s best interests in mind. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum may arrive a bit later than intended, but that’s an easy reality to accept if it means the movie will succeed — and potentially herald more projects set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world.
Source: The Direct
