The latest addition to the “Lord of the Rings” film adaptations will hit theaters in the not-too-distant future. Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema announced “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” will hit theaters on December 17th, 2027. So it has been delayed a year from its originally 2026 release window.
Andy Serkis is attached to direct and will reprise his role as the titular character via motion capture. Serkis has been playing Gollum since 2002’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.”
Original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson is producing alongside his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. According to Warner Bros. Pictures, the trio “will be involved every step of the way.
“The Hunt for Gollum” will be “quite an intense story” that “falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines of Moria,” Boyens told Empire magazine. “It’s a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature.”
Casting “The Hunt for Gollum”
Core “Lord of the Rings” cast members Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), and Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) have all expressed interest in returning. At this time, Serkis is the only confirmed cast member. All of the aforementioned franchise veterans come with the caveat of their characters’ return making sense for the story. While it would be nice to see more familiar faces, currently, this project is too early into development to confirm much.
“The Hunt for Gollum” will be the first live-action film in the franchise since 2014’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.” The anime movie “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” was released just last year.
We’ll keep you posted on updates about “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” as the project develops. It is slated to hit theaters on December 17th, 2027.
