We’re getting another movie, precious!
Warner Bros. Discovery announced the production of a brand-new Lord of the Rings movie for release in 2026. The first movie, in a planned set of upcoming releases, will be titled “The Hunt for Gollum.” The film will be directed by and star Andy Serkis with Peter Jackson producing.
The film was announced by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, David Zaslav, in a first-quarter earnings call. Zaslav said that the film is “now in the early stages of script development.” Some fans are skeptical about the upcoming movie, especially since the last Gollum focused project went so… well.
What is The Hunt for Gollum?
So far, we don’t have a lot of information about the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie. Currently, we only have the title, director, producers, and a prospective release year.
No plot details have been released yet, but based on the title, it seems reasonable to assume the film will center around Gollum evading capture by either elves, men, or the forces of Sauron.
There is a period of time before Fellowship of the Ring when Aragorn, then going by Strider, hunts for Gollum. He eventually captures Gollum and leaves him in the care of the Wood Elves of Mirkwood. However, Gollum soon escapes the elves. This prompts Legolas to come to Rivendell to deliver news of his escape to the Council of Elrond.
It’s possible that the film will take place during this period, but that does seem unlikely unless Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom reprise their roles from two decades ago.
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Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum cast and director
Andy Serkis will direct and star in the movie, reprising his iconic role for the first time since 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.
Peter Jackson will return to the franchise as a producer and writer. Jackson, alongside writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, released a statement. In it, they express their excitement to return to the Lord of the Rings universe.
“It is an honor and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that stinker – Gollum! As life long fans of professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”
Will there be even more Lord of the Rings movies?
It seems that Warner Bros. Discovery has big plans for the future of Tolkien’s works in cinemas. Back in February of 2023, the company announced its plans to create even more films in the Lord of the Rings universe. After a series of deals and acquisitions, the right to create more Tolkien Cinematic Universe (how does TCU sound?) came to the newly-formed Middle-earth Enterprises, which was then acquired by Warner Bros.
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