Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, the first of two new Lord of the Rings films that are in development at Warner Bros. Pictures, is scheduled for release in 2026, the studio has announced. Andy Serkis, the actor and filmmaker who brought Gollum to life in the previous films, will direct and star in the movie, while Peter Jackson is on board as a producer.
The writing team includes:
- Fran Walsh
- Philippa Boyens
- Phoebe Gittins
- Arty Papageorgiou
Quotes from the filmmakers:
- Andy Serkis
- “Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa.”
- “With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our film making family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”
- Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens
- “It is an honour 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!”
- Warner Bros. Motion Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy
- “For over two-decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien’s works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision.”
- “We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films. With Andy coming aboard to direct Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum(*WT), we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the Lord of the Rings cinematic history.”
From a report:
Zaslav revealed last year that Warner. Bros. Pictures, led by Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, will be revisiting the Lord of the Rings with new films based on the beloved books by J.R.R. Tolkien that became a highly lucrative cinematic franchise helmed by Peter Jackson. He will be back producing, with longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. It’s repped a major piece of business for the studio with Jackson’s previous six LOTR films grossing about $6 billion worldwide — roughly $3 billion for each trilogy.