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Peter Jackson’s return to Middle-earth just became even more magical. During a recent financial call, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav confirmed that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is one of the studio’s crown jewels for the next few years, right up there with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Harry Potter. While Zaslav emphasized the studio’s confidence in Jackson’s creative team, the real bombshell came this weekend in London.
At the For the Love of Fantasy event, Sir Ian McKellen revealed that he will be stepping back into his robes as Gandalf the Grey for the new film. And he won’t be coming alone — Elijah Wood is also set to return as Frodo Baggins. The confirmation from McKellen himself marks the first official word that two of the most iconic characters in the trilogy are part of Andy Serkis’ upcoming Gollum-centered tale. Wood was also present at the panel, which featured a huge number of the cast, including Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd and John Rhys-Davies.
“I hear there’s going to be another movie based in Middle-earth, and it’s going to start filming in May. It’s going to be directed by Gollum, and it’s all about Gollum. But I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting. There’s a character in the movie called Frodo, and there’s a character in the movie called Gandalf. Apart from that, my lips are sealed!”
What We Know About The Hunt for Gollum
As the title suggests, the new film will follow Gollum’s journey in the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Andy Serkis will direct while reprising his legendary motion-capture role, with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens once again shepherding the script. Warner Bros. has already confirmed this is just the first of two new Middle-earth films in development.
Serkis recently teased that while the project is still in its early stages, cameras are expected to roll in 2026:
“We’ve been talking about the film over the course of the last year. We’re about to start a period of prep in the next few months or so. We will be shooting in the early to mid-part of next year, I guess, and then it’ll be as long as it takes to shoot… all ready for a December 2027 release.”
He also promised that while the film will feel true to the tone of Jackson’s trilogy, it will dig deeper into the fractured psyche of Gollum:
“I’m incredibly excited to… do something which is, I think, going to be surprising, and yet very much part of the lore and the feel of the trilogy… we’re investigating in greater depth the character formerly known as Smeagol, but mostly known as Gollum.”
