Lord of the Rings movie titled The Hunt for Gollum is set to hit screens in 2026 as Warner Bros. announced the upcoming release of the first new film of the series.
According to Variety, the legendary filmmaker Peter Jackson along with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyen are on board as producer, while Andy Serkis, who portrayed the character of Gollum is set to direct the highly anticipated movie.
Warner Bros. Motion Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy said, “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.”
They shared in a statement, “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.”
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav shared during an earnings call Thursday, that the team is in the early stages of script development on the project.
However, the CEO didn’t disclose any plot details, saying the first film will focus on “storylines yet to be told.”
The film studio initially stated in February 2023 that then-new studio chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy had reached an agreement to develop "multiple" films based on the popular J.R.R. Tolkien books.
To note, the first three films were The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2000); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002); and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).
The trilogy was followed by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, released, respectively, in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
