The last few years have seen the entertainment industry zero in on a thoroughly unexpected Lord of the Rings character.
With so many stellar favorites to choose from, Gollum is certainly a surprising pick, but that doesn’t make the announcement of Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum any less exciting. The incoming film was announced in mid-2024, with several thrilling collaborators all but guaranteed to make the release a sweeping success.
Andy Serkis, the longtime voice and motion capture artist behind the tragic Stoor Hobbit, is set to return as both star and director of the film. He’ll be joined by seasoned Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson as they combine their talents to create a fresh look at one of Middle Earth’s most tortured souls.
When does Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum release?
Details about The Hunt for Gollum are still scarce, but we do have a broad release window for the feature. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav anticipates a release date nestled somewhere in 2026, leaving fans with only a few years to wait for another adventure across the fantasy world that inspired a generation (or three) of readers, viewers, and gamers.
Returning cast in The Hunt for Gollum
Easily the most exciting returning face is Andy Serkis, who brought Gollum to brilliant life across four Lord of the Rings releases through the 2000s and 2010s. He’ll be joined by Jackson, a seasoned director with a passion for J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, along with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, Jackson’s longtime writing partners, who are stepping into write the screenplay.
No other on-screen talent has been released, but fans are praying for at least one or two returning faces. Depending on which time period in Gollum’s life the film follows, there’s the potential to see a few fan-favorite stars return, but the release is likely to largely introduce a new cast for audiences to enjoy.
What is The Hunt for Gollum about?
We still don’t know much about the plot behind The Hunt for Gollum, but we do know the project aims to “explore storylines yet to be told.” That means we won’t be seeing any rehashing of old storylines, with the crew behind the release instead focused on examining other aspects of Tolkien’s sprawling world.
Other Lord of the Rings projects in development
The Hunt for Gollum isn’t the only project eyeing a return to Middle Earth. Its one among several incoming releases in “the early stages of script development,” which means that we’ll be seeing plenty more of the iconic fantasy world soon. The Hunt for Gollum is slated to be the first of the bunch, so we won’t set sights on them for a good while, but prep yourself for plenty more where that came from over the next decade or so.